


Love revival

by CMDAK, Tsuyu



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 07:49:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10271780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMDAK/pseuds/CMDAK, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsuyu/pseuds/Tsuyu
Summary: Q thinks James is pulling a leg on him.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Boffin1710](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boffin1710/gifts).



> This was as a wake up call for CMDAK's muse.
> 
> Also gifting to our darling Boffin, as always! Thank you for your continued support and we're sorry you have to deal with our long ass fics! :D

“How do I look? “

“l-lovely.”

Alec coughs in the background.

James throws a pen at Alec's head.

“Are you sure you won't be cold? Do you want my long coat?”

"No, I can do just fine!"

"I-if you are sure." Throws another pen at Alec for making a whipping sound.

"Yes, I’m sure." Q leans in and kissed James on the cheek. "Thank you for caring."

Alec makes gagging sounds again.

James glares at Alec. “Do you mind if you wait for me a few minutes outside?”

"No, I don't. I'll be waiting outside." He grins.

"So, he gets to wear the rainbow when you two are going to Le Fancy Smancy, but when I want to dress casual, " Alec started, slowly backing away.

"Don't you dare to say anything in his face. Even and ESPECIALLY when we are going to Fancy Smancy as you well put it." James crossed his hands. "He's an orphan, like us, so it's only natural that I'll let him do anything and everything he wants. Including dressing up colourfully!"

Alec smirked, shaking his head. "You won't be able to glare at the world to keep it silent about his tastes in fashion, you know. Especially when he has meetings with specialists from other agencies." It looked like Alec had more to say, but he chose to hum instead.

"Watch me attend all of it with him then." James put on his coat and wrapped his scarf. "We must go now." He closed the doors and fumed. Maybe Alec was right but he didn't have the heart to say no to Q. He'd have to talk to Eve and give her his black card so she'd help Q shop.

Q glided over to him, impossible to miss with his fluorescent sneakers and bright orange jacket, smile brighter than any of the clothes he wore. "I've heard Eve talk about this place with much praise, but I do hope they also have ice cream." Q was much too pure for this world and this job.

"Yes, yes, I've heard as well. 3 Michelin stars. I have high expectations for them." James had his arm over boffin's waist just to be sure the concierge won't kick Q out. "We have reservations under Bond's name." He added.

The man gave Q a once over, arching his eyebrow. "Of course, sir." He plucked out two velvety menus from under his little box and then bowed a little. "The usual, of course." Q looked like he was trying to do a 360 with his neck the way he twisted and turned, mouth opened. "It's very..." He seemed to slowly become aware of the type of dress code that was expected of someone who entered this place, worrying his lower lip.

"Why didn't you tell me I had to dress appropriately?" Q looked sad out of the sudden. He suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Is this a prank you are trying to pull on me?"

"No, no," James said quickly, pushing the waiter out of their way to hold out the chair for Q. "All you have to do to get in here is dress, right?" He asked the man, sending him a glare. "Y-yes, sir. As long as you have clothes on your back, you may enter." The implication that it applied only to Q because he was associated with James was there for anyone who knew how to hear it.

Q's eyes suddenly teared up. "James... why?"

"Q, no you don’t understand!" James tried to grab the man by his arm and actually managed because Q being as thin as he was, was also as slippery as an eel.

"Let me go, Bond."

The waiter coughed, hinting that they were making a scene but James didn't care. "It's our first date; I wanted to take you somewhere nice and I also wanted you to be comfortable." He moved closer to him, letting go of his arm in favour of wrapping his around his middle. "Forget them and their boring clothes and think, really think and tell me if I'm the kind of person who would mock you or try to make a fool of you."

Q just shook his head but continued no to show James his back. The blonde took it as his cue to come closer to the younger man. "Please tell me, that you at least trust me?"

"Of course I trust you," Q said, clearly offended by the question. "But I... You are like THAT and I am like THIS and so not your usual date and..." He trailed off, hiding his face in the palm if his hands. "We should have gone for a burger at McDonald's."

"Or should have not gone at all." He mumbled into his hands. "Q, please... I've asked you to dinner. And I've wanted you to taste best caviar you've ever had as you said you never did..." James stopped suddenly. "I guess I should have listened to Alec."

The waiter coughs again, his face softened somewhat. "If I may, young sir, our guests are the ones who chose to dress this fancy. We do reserve the right to turn away would be customers, but you are with Mister Bond." Q frowned more.

"Yes, I'm aware of this fact." Q said slowly. "But I'm sure it's not a right place for sneakers and leather jackets." He shook again. "It was a mistake, Bond. Have a lovely evening."

James made to go after him but a snapped 'stay' as if Q were talking with an unruly mutt had him hold his ground. "You couldn't have held back from the strange side glance, could you?" The waiter, still holding his head up. "Sir forgets that I wasn't the one who forced someone out of his element to come here."

"And you don't know when to hold your tongue in!" James muttered and stood when Q was out of sight. "Now I must go and calm him down." He rushed behind the younger man but he was nowhere to be seen on a busy Friday night in London streets.

So catching him was out of the question, but he could still find him. He'd heard Q's stomach rumbling so he was still hungry, it was too late for any museums to be opened, and Q was much too embarrassed to reach out to Eve right then.

He just needed to find the closest fast food restaurant or just any kind of Asian food restaurant. He started walking down the street slowly avoiding bumping into various people. *curry and sushi for take away* was the sign not far from the restaurant.

"Perfect," he muttered under his breath as he quickly made his way towards it. There was no way that they had done Q's food that fast so he was bound to find the man sulking in a chair.

He found Q sitting at one of the high bars tools, lazily drinking some weird concoction by the name of bubble tea. "Q..."

"Save it, James." Q took a sip of his tea and continued to avoid his eyes.

"That's what I am trying to do," he whispered, taking a seat next to Q, brushing their shoulders together. "I did not want to insult you. I wanted to sweep you off your feet and-"

"Right in your bed," Q finished for him.

"Q..."

"Admit it. Admit that it's been the sole reason you invited me to have a dinner in a most fancy restaurant I've ever stepped in." Q turned away from the agent and inhaled deeply.

"Eventually," James tried to underline, placing his hand on his shoulder. "But that wasn't my only intention, honestly. I wanted to make you feel like royalty since, as far as I am concerned that is what you are."

James considered it an achievement when Q didn't shrug his hand off. "Royalty? What royalty, Bond? I'm an orphan." He kept the 'just like you' part in his mind. He didn't want to insult her majesty's deadliest agent with his ramblings.

"So?" James asked simply, slowly turning Q to face him. "I have money, you have money, we both have a job, I'm the son of a lord and I like to spoil those who deserve it. What does the fact that we're both orphans with the restaurant and the fact that you like to dress in a very unique way?"

"That's to put it mildly." Q sighed. "I rarely go out, James. Very seldom. And when I do I try to avoid fancy places as I know I'll always be underdressed and I could never follow the proper etiquette." He inhaled deeply to continue. "That's the whole of it. You are the son of a lords and I'm just some lonely man with no social skills." Q closed his eyes and waited. It was always now that people gave up on him. "Also I'm not of the gender whose company you usually enjoy."

James brushed his lips against Q's cheek. "I swing all ways, Q. And what do I care about your social skills or how much you go outside? And you do go outside or did you forget about your constant visits to museums and..." He trailed off, grinning as he got an idea. "Would you like to accompany me to the opera? Or to that Potter play?"

Q's eyes widened at the mention of Harry Potter play. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get the tickets? And with our hectic schedules it's practically impossible. Believe me, I've tried." He huffed.

"Well then, Quartermaster, would you like to go to the Potter play with me?" James smiled at the man.

Back to munching his lower lip, Q slowly nodded. "Not that I believe you can, but yes."

James grinned, slipping his arm around Q and pulled him close. "I am the great 007, darling. Theatre tickets are nothing for me."

"If you say so, James." Q took his take out and went out. James been following him in the masses of people till he turned the corner and disappeared.

***

Bond was getting restless. So far all of his tries to bribe someone to get tickets to the bloody play were useless. No one wanted to sell theirs. It seems everyone seemed too keen to see it themselves.

"I am in complete shock that your plan backfired," Alec said drily. "BOTH of them," he added just to be sure he had added enough salt over his wounds. James glared, but held back from strangling Alec. "So you were right," fake gag, "but can you also magic some tickets for Q and I?"

"Magic some tickets to which play exactly?" Alec asked, still grinning. "That new one Potter play? Something to do with cursed child or something." James said absentmindedly. Of course, the whistle Alec gave promised no good out of that wish.

"I'll give you my car for one week," James tried bribing him but Alec continued to whistle. "What is it that you want then?"

"It's not that I want it as much as you need it," he said cryptically.

"Could you make sense? Or am I asking too much?"

Alec elbowed him. "A time machine since those tickets have sold out weeks if not months ago."

James felt a headache coming right up. He promised Q he'd get those tickets and now he needed to have it done because how else could he justify a date with the boffin? "What do I need to do for you to help me?"

Alec let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that I don't want to help you as much as I can't really do anything in this case." James groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hey, I am not the one who promised Q to get him tickets to the Harry Potter play. By the way, you do know you need two sets of tickets, right?"

Bond groaned. "What do you think I should do? Who do you think could do me a favour?"

Alec hummed, scratching his neck. "You mean other than Q?" A glare. "Still Q, but indirectly. Try to use your desperation to date him to land yourself tickets. And also make sure to compensate the people who take pity on you."

"I think you are indirectly implying that I must talk to Eve." James muttered. Alec just continued to laugh behind the other blonde.

***

"Eve..."

"What do you want Bond?" The woman continued to type at her computer.

"Eve, can't I drop by just to-"

"No." A sharp glare directed at him. "What did you do and what do you want?"

"But Eve..."

"Either tell me what you want or be gone. I'm busy."

James put his black card on the table and looked at Eve again. "Do you still want those Louis Vuitton shoes or not?"

"What do YOU want?" She narrowed her eyes at him but stopped typing. It meant he had her attention.

"I may have, accidentally, led Q to believe that I was mocking him," he said slowly and he was beyond happy that looks couldn't kill, although Eve looked like she was angling herself in the perfect position to pounce at him and nick his jugular before he could even realize that she had moved.

"I am permitting you to explain yourself to me before I turn  you inside out and hang you on the outside of Q's department as an example of what's going to happen to all who upset him," Eve said slowly, each word spat more than spoken.

"Well... you know that 3 star Michelin restaurant at SoHo’s..." he started.

Eve gasped. "Tell me you didn't. Oh god... tell me you haven't." She looked at him and her glare was one to be afraid off. "You did, you bloody bastard. You took him to that god damn restaurant when he was dressed in his neon sneakers and the leather jacket!" She snagged the black card. "It won't help you. This card. I doubt he'll ever forgive you!"

"Eve, please," James breathed out, grabbing his hand. "How was I supposed to know he would figure it out? I wanted him to enjoy himself and to be relaxed and we both know that he doesn't feel right in suits." He squeezed Eve's hand to keep her attention on him. "I will never bring up the shooting incident if you help me with Q."

"Fine Bond, tell me what you need?" She glared at him once more. "Be precise, I'm busy!"

She had never seen the most lethal 00 look so flustered. "Well, I need two tickets for the Harry Potter play playing now and maybe a meeting with the author, but it must look like it's been on accident and not planned. And also..." he stopped when he saw the raised hand from the secretary. "What is it?"

"Do I look like an idiot to you, Bond?" She asked, barely holding back her laughter. "Because it sounds like you are one sentence away from asking you to make you a prince that has ninety-five white Persian monkeys." James arched his brow at her. "I had to babysit Tanner's kids and we watched Aladdin."

"And does that help me in any way to get the tickets that I want?" He asked in what he hoped to be a deadpan voice - but the hint of desperation was not only in his tone, but his eyes as well and Eve looked like she was enjoying every moment of it.

"Well..." she kept silent.

"What do you want me to do? Grovel at your feet? I can do that!" He dropped to his knees in front of her. "So will you help me? Will you?"

There was a gasp behind them and Bond turned to see Q, white as a sheet, gripping his folders tightly. He schooled his features into what looked like a solemn expression and passed them.

"Heading to Mallory. Do not disturb us!"

James made to follow Q on his knees, but Eve grabbed the back of his collar. "Do you really think he's going to listen to you now? And not to mention that Tanner will kill you the second his eyes lands on you and sees you like that while HIS NEPHEW is doing his worst impression of someone who doesn't care."

"Well, I don't know. Maybe?" James finally stood up and dusted his impeccable suit. "Eve..."

"Yes, fine. I'll help you. And I'll even be so kind as to arrange a meeting with the Queen?"

"The Queen wrote Harry Potter?"

Eve grinned. "I am sure that you will somehow end up asking me to set up a meeting between Q and the Queen." She tapped his forehead with her pen. "Now get up before someone else thinks you're proposing to me."

James visibly flinched. "No insult meant, Eve."

"None taken," she said between gritted teeth. "And don't worry; Q will check the recordings to see your 'proposal' and know you were just begging for my help."

"Yes, I know he will check. He always does." He stood straight when Q emerged from Mallory's office.

"Have a lovely evening, Miss Moneypenny." Q breezed past Bond as if he was invisible.

"Q, can you wait a moment." Tanner walked from Mallory's office as well. "There are a few things I need to discuss with you."

"Of course... uncle." It still appeared it was weird for Q to accept there was family who cared for him.

The man smiled and placed his hand on his back, guiding him towards his office. "You don't have to force yourself to call me that," James heard the man saying as he started to edge after them.

"Very well, Bill, then." Q blushed lightly.

"Let's go and have lunch." Tanner gently guided suddenly shy Quartermaster outside.

"Bond!" Eve hissed. "Get back here!"

But her hisses fell on deaf ears, James unable to wait for Q to come to him - his impatience was his metaphorical shovel which he used to dig the grave for his relationship with Q. "Q, everything was a huge misunderstanding!"

"Double oh seven," Tanner started. "Either leave the Quartermaster alone or I'll see to it you'll next be sent out to 6 months mission to Siberia."

Bond visibly flinched and recoiled. Q continued to keep away from him.

"Bond!" Eve hissed again.

James' snapped his head towards Eve. "Tell him what happened and I'll be the good dog my enemies think me to be and heel."

Eve rolled her eyes. "Q, he was begging me to help him with your super-secret gift that you already know about." She turned and flashed James a really cruel smile. "Now sit."

She had never seen Bond just plop on his bum in front of her, hands in his short hair.

"Eve... what I'm supposed to do now?"

Q coughed, struggling a little to arrange his tie. "007," never a good sign when Q started with that, "you don't have anything scheduled in for today so maybe not stress Miss Moneypenny?"

"Or Q," Tanner grumbled, finally getting the feel that something was going on between his nephew and the agent.

Bond relented finally and let Q leave along with Tanner.

"So?" He started on again at Eve.

"I'll see what I can do about those tickets but no promises!" She had the decency to smirk.

***

"So, Bill, what did you want to talk about?" Q muttered into his cup of tea, stomach rumbling as the smell from the kitchen entered his nose.

"Well, I was worried that you were acting funny," Tanner started, frowning, "and something tells me that 007 is to blame."

"We had a little mishap but now it's all solved." Q muttered through gritted teeth. He hoped Bond will never bother him again unless it's mission relayed.

Tanner narrowed his eyes but nodded, his nephew was fidgety in the least.

"What are your plans for Christmas eve?"

Q hummed, not really think g of the question. "I am off for the night unless an emergency arises, so I will be staying home with a book and some warm tea."

"Would you like to spend it with your aunt and I?" Tanner asked slowly and carefully, as if he was afraid that he would startle him.

Q looked up at the older man as if scared and surprised. "Really? Would you really? Wouldn't I bother you?"

"Of course you wouldn't. You're family, Q. Long lost family. The only family I have left and I'm sure..." Tanner looked at the Quartermaster and saw tears in his eyes.

"T-thank you," Q hiccupped, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry, I think something entered my eyes."

Unable to hold back, Bill tugged Q in his arms and gave him a strong hug. "We should have looked harder..."

"It's fine." Q muttered. "As long as you're not leaving...me..."

"Oh Jonathan..." Tanner used his given name. "We wouldn't dare!"

"Can I bring my cats?" Q asked in a weak voice, afraid for no logical reason that having them would be a deal breaker - he already knew that Bill liked his cats and they tolerated him enough in return, but the fear of being abandoned again was not one you'd easily get rid of.

"Of course you can, Jonathan," Bill assured him quickly, hugging him tighter still. "But I will not be blamed if they end up dressed in pink dresses."

The young Quartermaster laughed. "I'm sure they can defend themselves if need be."

"Well, I'm sure you can squeeze Christmas Day with us as well. And we should go and get your darlings tonight." Bill finished his tea and stood up. "I'll come to the branch after 5 p.m."

"As close to 6 as you can, please. I am working on something..." He trailed off, frowning. That something was a gift for James, his bloody exploding pens, which he should just drop but he had started working on them way before the agent asked him out to that restaurant.

"Sure," Bill said slowly. "Extra project, I take it?" Q nodded. "Is it one you want to do or one you have to do because a certain someone ruined something he wasn't supposed to and you didn't report it?"

"I want to finish and be done with it this year." Q smiled sadly.

"I'll do my best then." Bill patted him on the shoulder and left Q, presumably to help Eve with wild double oh agents and new recruits.

***

"Eve... Anything! Anything at all!" Bond was in front of her again.

Suddenly the doors to the office opened and murderous looking Tanner barged in.

"Eve, double oh 7, is M present?"

"Yes, Bill, I'm sure he's waiting for you." Eve rearranged her papers and stood. "Let's go, Bond."

"Something tells me that Tanner's gift for me this year will be a bullet through my skull," James muttered as he followed her out of the office.

"You are bribing me to get in his nephew's pants." She grabbed James by the back of his suit and stopped him from going down to Q branch. "Don't stress him anymore than you already did."

"Let's go and have some coffee while you explain in very precise detail how did you managed to fuck up dinner with our reclusive Quartermaster." Eve pushed the button to the ground floor, aware of the fact that camera lens was following all her moves and her reactions to what Bond had said.

But Bond it seemed was too lost and confused to realise what was happening around him to stop his mouth.

"We went to that new restaurant in Soho. The 3 Michelin stars one. And he came dressed in a leather jacket and before you start Eve, he looks gorgeous in a leather jacket. The maître d’hôtel assured him that the clothing he had on was suitable for the restaurant but I'm sure.... Eve, are you even listening?"

Eve's attention snapped back to James. "Yes, yes, you were drooling over Q as you usually do. Carry on."

James scoffed, but did as told. "Well, he noticed that everyone else was dressed in boring clothes and he thought that I brought him there to mock him! Me, mocking him!" He threw his hands in the air and stopped in the middle of the hallway, directly in front of a camera. "I mean I was the one who dealt with the old bastards who were giving him a hard time...”

"James," Eve said slowly.

"... Even though he didn't have the heart to put them in their place," James continued undeterred. "How could he think that I would mock him?"

"Well," she stood in front of his precious Aston Martin. The one Q rebuild in his spare time with his two bare hands. "Can you unlock the doors so we can leave?"

"Yes, yes." James unlocked the car and revived the engine. "Do explain his reasoning though."

"How were you dressed, James?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Bond looked at her while they were navigating the underground parking lot in MI6.

"Just indulge me."

"Well..." A frown crossed James' features. "I put on my best suit. The McQueen one I ordered long time ago but didn't have the opportunity to wear and..." Understanding dawned onto him and he hit his head into the wheel. "Eve...." he moaned. "HELP ME!"

Eve arched her eyebrow. "You want me to buy you clothes like his?" James nodded furiously. "You can't pull them off and he'll think you're mocking him even more."

Fidgeting with the car keys, James finally remembered that all he had to do was push a button to unlock the doors. "Look, I wanted him to stare at me like he did the first time we really had a chance to take each other into consideration."

Eve easily slid into the car, pushing a few buttons to make sure that Q was still hearing the conversation. "So you wanted him horny enough to jump your bones, I see."

James slammed the door shut, clutching the wheel and sighing. "It was one of my intentions, yes, but not only that. I wasn't going to have fun and disappear the next day, which would be hard by default since he is my Quartermaster."

Eve laughed. She hoped Q heard all of this conversation. Pushing another button to finally disable the equipment Q installed to transmit the dialogue from inside the car she smiled at him slyly.

"How much are you willing to pay? I must warn you those tickets are expensive as hell and if you want him to meet the Queen it'll be even more as she doesn't like going out a lot."

Bond concentrated on driving in the busy streets of London, using shortcuts and back alleys to make his trip faster. "Eve, I laid my black Visa card on your desk, what else do you need?"

Eve shrugged. "Hey, I just want to be sure about everything." She focused on James when they hit the first stop light and gently touched one of the hands that were on the wheels. "James, this thing with Q... Are you sure about it? You're not just trying to get him for the sake of sleeping with him, right?"

James looked at her offended - which he really had no right to do as far as she was concerned. "Q is not ordinary, Eve. He's a force to be reckoned with, yes, but he's also gentle and in need of affection. GENUINE affection." He ignored all the honking going on behind him to glare at her. "And don't you date imply that he's a project; I don't do projects, literally or metaphorically."

"Well... Should I mention late Vesper or say Madeleine? With whom you left, leaving poor Q alone in the Q-branch. And you even had the decency to ask for the car to drive off into the sunset with?" Eve narrowed her eyes again. She was fiercely protective of Q, like most of the MI6.

"Eve..." Bond stopped at another crossroad. "Are you... do you..." he couldn't even voice his fears and woman found that endearing.

Eve furrowed her eyebrows for a moment and then snorted right before slapping James upside the head. "Q is like my baby brother, James. And mind you, he has an army of unofficial siblings in MI6 and even you would end up dead if we all go for you."

"Are you sure?" James asked, undeterred by the slap

"If you ask me once again, I'm going to shoot you in the leg and won't even be sorry about it. Can we please eat now? I'm actually hungry, mind you!" She rubbed her temples. James was being as insecure about pursuing a real relationship with Q as was Q.

"Where do you want to eat?" James asked while actually abiding to the traffic laws at least once in a while.

"You've been mentioning that restaurant so much that I got a crave for it," she muttered after a moment. "You can also take something to go for Q as I've heard that he's regretful about not being properly dressed to eat there."

"If you insist." Bond made a U turn at the nearest traffic light and started wrangling the tiny streets of Soho.

Parking the car they exited and Eve grabbed Bond's arm to help her walk in her ridiculous high heels.

Entering, the maître d'hôtel greeted them.

"Ah, Mr. Bond, back so soon."

Eve arched her eyebrow - James expected them to pop out at any point - and the waiter thought that she was the missus. "Ah, by so soon I mean.... it is good to see you, Mr Bond."

"Mrs Bond. This way please." He tried to cover up his slip up by showing them to the table in s corner which overlooked all restaurant.

"James..." Eve started.

"Have I overdone it?"

"You should make it clear to him that I am not your bloody wife, lover, mistress, or anything else that you might want Q to be," she hissed at him, stepping on his foot as hard as she could. "This whole thing... Q seeing you on your knees in front of me, the waiter calling me that..." She trailed off and grabbed James' shirt pulling him closer, making sure her nails dug in his chest. "Are you mocking Q?" She asked slowly, her voice sounding very much like the rattle of a snake.

"You know I'd never do that to neither Q not you, but mainly not to Q." James said.

Waiter appeared yet again. "Any appetizers for missus and you?" He asked.

"She's not my wife." James said without even so much as a blink.

"James..." Eve refrained from face palming just so much.

The waiter looked taken back. "I apologize sir. I..." He glanced back at what had to be his supervisor, starting to sweat a little. "The food is on the house?"

"Nonsense," Eve said, opening her menu. "Mistakes are bound to be made when James is involved. God knows he's being doing them ever since that guy you saw him with the last time he came here got involved."

"Oh... the young man. He seem to be passing the restaurant every other Thursday." The waiter stated. "I'll be back in a few to take your order."

"Eve, I insulted him. If he's living somewhere close by..."

"You will not follow the Quartermaster around like a love-struck fool!" Eve smiled slyly at something in the menu.

James frowned, but the small part if his brain that still worked normally, he realized that he'd be seen more as a creepy stalker than a sane person who was in love. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Drop it for the moment," Eve grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Worrying about it won't fix it, so relax and treat me to this." She held out the menu to James, tapping her perfectly manicured nail against a really high price.

James raised an eyebrow. "I hope you know what you're ordering."

"Yes, James." She blinked at him and then winked at the waiter who was idling nearby.

"Ma'am, sir, ready to order?"

"Yes, bring your best Russian caviar for the lady, with all the ingredients included and I'll just have some steak." James said without so much as a blink as if ordering the most pricy dish the restaurant had to offer was just another ordinary day in London.

"So early?" Water wanted to hit himself with the menu. It wasn't his business if people decided to have vodka and caviar for lunch.

James narrowed his eyes. "Yes, this early," he grumbled. "Or would you like to recommend something proper--"

"James, that's enough," Eve interrupted. "It wasn't the waiter who brought Q here in the first place." She turned to side reassuringly at him. "Also prepare caviar to go, please; loud mouth over here is currently groveling to get back in the graces of the young man he was here with."

"Very well, ma'am." The waiter bowed and left.

"Bond, please stop acting like an idiot, eat your steak and we'll discuss what should be done."

***

Bond entered Q branch and the clattering and usual chatter disappeared as everyone turned to look at him.

"I know you're sort of spies, but have you nothing better to do than gossip?" James asked, glaring at them until they all turned back to what they were doing, though the heavy silence did not disappear. "Never work in the field," he added in a huff, sliding over to Q's office and arranging his tie before knowing on the door.

"He's not inside." Q's right hand said before he tried to pry the doors open.

Bond turned around as if spooked.

"Where is he then?"

"He left for the meeting with Tanner. They still haven't returned." R shrugged her shoulders and continued typing.

"Do you know if he's coming back today?" James asked, planning on staying in front of that door until Q's cold glare rested on him.

"I don't know." R replied tersely.

There was a commotion at the entrance. Bond turned around and saw Q entering the branch. His minions surrounded him at once and whispered fiercely to him, turning their glares at him and R.

"Quartermaster," James breathed out, smiling as if he hadn't seen him in years, not hours? "I brought you something to eat."

Q waved his hand behind him to send his minions back to work before crossing his arms over his chest. "Thank you, but I already ate."

"But I insist that you at least have a bite of this." Bond pushed further. "It's from the best restaurant in town."

Q narrowed his eyes at the agent. "If you're pulling a leg at me, you'll have a water gun for your next mission." He snatched the black paper bag from Bond's hands and went into his office, slamming the doors in front of the man.

"Still on his black list," R whispered.

"Yes, but he still acknowledges my existence, so I count it as a win," James shut back, grinning a little. "He's not allergic to anything, is he?" He asked suddenly, a worst case scenario making itself right at home in the back of his mind.

R sighed, shaking her head. "Just bastard agents."

"Good then." Bond nodded and turned towards the exit.

Suddenly the doors to Q's office opened and Q was out the doors and past the Bond in a matter of seconds. "Where is he? Where is that bloody bastard!"

Bond felt fear creeping up his spine. He fucked it up again and Q hated caviar as default was on the murder path to kill James off.

"Still here, my bellowing Quartermaster," he said in an even voice, the few minions that were in Q's path wasting no time in stepping to the side.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Q demanded, waiving around something.

"A spoon?"

Q chucked it at his head. "I know it's a spoon, you bastard! How dare you imply that I am stuck up? And for your information the saying is about a SILVER spoon."

"I have no idea how you got the spoon." James tried to pretend to be innocent.

"Liar. You're a bloody liar, that's who you are. Mocking me! Take it and the caviar back! I don't need your food and your bloody golden spoons." Q huffed and went back inside to retrieve the bag.

With a few quick strides Bond was in Q's office.

"Q, no, food is meant to be savored. And the spoon. I guess it's a gift then." He scratched his head.

Q huffed, stuffing pretty much everything he got his hand on in his bag. "Who in their right mind would give a golden spoon as a gift, Bond? Have the decency to come up with a better lie."

James sighed and sat down on Q's chair, running his hands down his face. "Q, I am not mocking you, please understand that already. I like you."

"Liar, liar your hat's on fire!" Q mocked him. He finished stuffing the items into the bag and went to the entrance into the office. "Close the doors when you leave. Have a lovely holiday!" Q then dashed outside.

Bond looked at the table and smiled sadly when he saw that the spoon and the black take out bag with the caviar was gone as well.

"At least I now know, that he is at least partial to caviar."

It was something, even though it didn't really get him anywhere. He did contemplate on asking the restaurant to make a caviar cake for Q, but realized that at his luck, it would have been easily confused for actual cake and Q would take such a huge bite - he had a sweet tooth, the darling man - that he would get sick and then accuse him of trying to do just that.

He spent the next few days either trying to convince R to drop a hint about what Q desired the most, dodging Tanner who walked around the halls with the clear intent of castrating him if not outright murdering him, and pestering Eve to see how far along she had gotten with the tickets.

His mobile started ringing when he was just getting dressed for the evening. James had to admit that yes, when he was having time off the missions he liked to stay at home with a book and a glass of scotch, or a bottle. Recently he started drinking less and less, he was thinking that was because he was invested in wooing and pursuing Q. And god only knew Quartermaster didn't need an alcohol for a lover.

"Hello!" He answered absent mindedly while trying to change into his silk pyjamas.

"Bond..." Eve sounded frustrated.

"What is it, Moneypenny?" He was alert at once. "Is it code blue?" He cringed at the use of codes used by MI6 but even the famous James Bond had to abide to some rules at times.

"What? No!" She sounded surprised. "What got you thinking that?"

"Well, it's 12 at night and you don't usually call unless it's a serious matter."

"It is a serious matter. I just wanted to let you know I got you the tickets next to the Queen. You'll have to do it all yourself now."

"Eve, if you were here, I would kiss your hands," James declared. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have to spam Q with the good news."

"Shouldn't you surprise him?" Eve called out right before James closed the phone.

James threw the phone on the bed and finished dressing. He was already making plans on how to woo Q. How to introduce him to the bloody Queen of England. He was so excited about the prospect of getting on Q's good graces that he almost missed the sleepy voice coming from his phone.

"Bond? Bond? Are you injured? Bleeding out? Is it a knife wound or a shotgun wound? James...." the voice of stressed out Quartermaster could be heard from the phone's speakers.

"I'm fine, Q, I am fine," James said quickly, trying to calm him down. "I was calling you to inform you that I got us," special tone for 'us', "tickets to Harry Potter the Queen."

The next sound he heard was the click of the phone being closed.

"Q... Q... hello?" James looked down at the phone and saw that Quartermaster had terminated the call. He tried calling him back but the call would disconnect automatically and it left Bond confused. 

He then called Eve.

"Bond I hope you haven't called Quartermaster at this hour. Have you looked at the time?" That was what James got instead of hello.

"Um... no..."

Another disconnected call later James finally looked at the clock next to his bed. It read 00:30.

'I have fucked it up again, haven't I?' He texted Eve instead.

'I am trying to sleep.' Was the first text he got back from Eve. 'And no shit, Sherlock. Grovel at a decent hour.' Was the second one he got from her.

James clicked his tongue, fingers moving in a circular pattern over the phone's screen until he decided what to write. 'Good night, Quartermaster. '

Of course he got no reply from the Quartermaster, it seemed that stars were against him and Q ever even having a decent conversation.

***

Phone was ringing again and James woke up groggily. Trying to find the offending ringing object proved to be difficult as the phone was thrown into a corner, far away from the bed. Grumbling, James stood up and went to get it.

"Hello!"

"Oh, I am sorry," came Q's sarcastic voice, "did I wake you up?"

James was instantly awake. "Q," he breathed out, starting to smile. "I missed hearing your voice."

"Bond, please stop being so..." Q got quiet. "Considerate." He finished. "I wanted to talk about the Harry Potter. No, that's not right..." he was talking himself into a corner.

"Q, please stop for a second." James interrupted him.

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Q murmured and James pictured him nibbling on his lower lip, which wasn't helping with his morning situation.

"Please don't tell me you decided you don't like Harry Potter, not after I managed to get tickets right next to the Queen," James said in an almost pleading way.

"James-"

"You don't have to do anything in return for them if you think I'd be petty enough to hold the tickets above your head for that," James said quickly, looking around for his pants.

"I..." Q sighed. "Very well..."

James did a tiny little dance in his pants. "YES! I mean okay, that's great! And maybe we could have dinner another day?"

"James, don't overdo it." He heard purring on the line. "When is the play?"

"The play is..." He trailed off, frowning. "I have no idea when the play is."

"Bond, I am really not in the mood for-"

"No, no," James interrupted him. "I have the tickets, but no on me."

"Well, I'd like to go if you inform me when it is." Q said. "I hope I'll have a free day."

James nodded. "I'll inform you as soon as I'll have tickets in hand."

"I'll be waiting." James could hear Q smiling into receiver.

"Q, I... You really are important to me," James said truthfully. "I am aware that I am screwing up a lot, but I never meant to insult or hurt you and the spoon was really a mistake, just like-"

"James, stop," Q whispered. "I understand."

"I am glad. I... I'll meet you at Mi6." James whispered back.

Q hung up and sighed again. "What I'm supposed to do, Alan? What I'm supposed to do?" His cat just purred contently on his lap, ignorant to his owner's dilemma.

James took his time finding the proper suit he was going to wear because he wanted to run directly to Q after Eve gave him the tickets - well, call him and see if they could meet right away, but the point was that he planned on seeing him that day.

He had to stop himself from getting into a Tom Ford ones. 'It'll be for the play. Or should it be a tux for the play. Meeting the Queen after all.' He mused to himself.

Finally after an hour in front of his closet he chose the navy blue suit and a very pale blue shirt.

'This looks semi casual.' James thought again as he got dressed and took jaguar for a spin to MI6.

"Do you plan on stopping with Q by the church to get married on your way to the wedding?" Eve joked as she not so subtly took pictures of him.

"And you are not invited," James joked back as he brushed his hand over it. "Tickets please."

"God you can be demanding bastard. I have no idea what does he see in you." She extended the tickets to him in a black envelope. "The Queen will be sitting next to you. Play has two parts, one in the morning, the other in the same evening. I even went to great lengths and Q will have the Friday off so you better be good to him..."

James grinned, slowly turning the tickets in his hands. "I hope I'll manage to convince him to join me for lunch in between the plays and for dinner afterwards. Do you think he'd be impressed if I land us an invitation at Buckingham palace after the play? Her Majesty and myself are on decent terms."

"Bond..." Eve started to explain but was interrupted by Tanner who strolled in and then his happy face clouded over when he saw Bond with her.

"Double oh seven." He greeted the agent coldly.

James narrowed his eyes and flashed him a cold smile in return. "Tanner, always a pleasure to see you. Is my Quartermaster around?"

"What would you need with him?" Tanner snapped.

"Well, I was hoping he's and I can have a chat with him." James looked frustrated now.

"I'm sure he's busy for the likes of you anyway. You've been giving my nephew enough grey hairs as it is."

James hummed. "I saw no traces of these grey hairs that you are talking about." He really couldn't help himself - and Q never told him not to poke the annoyed Tanner. "But I will have to insist with my question: could you please, where my Quartermaster is?" He leaned closer to him, ignoring the way Eve was rolling her eyes. "He's actually expecting me."

"Oh is he now? And pray tell me what are you going to talk about? Will he praise you for your returned guns? Intact vehicle? Or the embassy that was NOT supposed to go up in flames?" Tanner crossed his hands and glared at Bond.

James lifted his arms in a defensive manner. "Hey, I am still grounded from my last mission, so if any embassy went up in smoke, I didn’t do it."

"But you'll do it on your next one, right?" Tanner pushed.

"If I have to in order to finish my mission, yes," James snapped back. "I do what I do to come back alive and to ensure that the world doesn't end up going down and Q understands that."

"You are a manipulative bastard and you know that." Tanner pressed further. "You know Q has a soft spot for you and would pardon you anything. Even the assassination of the Queen."

James looked like he ate a lemon. "Tanner, I know that when you came to knowledge that Q is your relative, you feel as if you need to protect him from all the evils of this world, but you should know I'm not one of them." He raised his hands in surrender. "As a matter of fact, I'm heading to Q branch to invite him to lunch."

Tanner managed to frown even more. "And how did that go for you the last time it happened?"

"I didn't mean to mock him," James growled, mentally counting back from 10. "Look, can you tell me where Q is? Or should I just call him, apologize for bothering him with a silly question but his long lost missing uncle--"

"That's a low blow, agent," Tanner breathed out, obviously hurt.

Bond just looked at him with the same question in his eyes.

"He's in his workshop. Try not to bother him too much, Bond."

Bond nodded at him and Eve and left the office.

"He's planning something, I can feel it." Tanner muttered.

Q had ordered his entire department to outright freeze while he put the finishing touches on his latest device, moving the minions in critical missions on their secondary floor - located under the current one just in case anything exploded; there was no need to lose agents if boffins died - and he himself was holding his breath as he was afraid that his masterpiece, a nifty little trinket that could be hidden on the thin layer of a contact lens and that was connected directly to his private computer, able to run instant facial recognition programs in the matter of a second, could be ruined by his warm breath.

He never thought one can slam electronically controlled doors but there was Bond, defying all the rules of the world once again. Q heard people gasp and prayed someone will stop the man with a license to kill before he ruined yet another of Q's gadgets, this time in development stages.

"Bond, Q is busy..." He heard R start her tirade.

"Nonsense. There are things I need to talk to him about and sadly it cannot wait."

"Bond..."

The head boffin heard some rustling and suddenly he felt a breath on his neck.

"What are you doing, Quartermaster?" The name he pronounced his title made Q's breath hitch and his fingers slip.

He really wanted more to cry than to rage, which was why he simply rested his head next to the cracked masterpiece and let out a long and painful sigh. "Wasting my time, apparently," he murmured lightly, no life or anything behind his words.

"Not to worry, my dear Quartermaster, I have something that will hopefully mend things a bit." James put the black envelope next to Q's head. "I hope you have a Saturday free in two weeks’ time. I'm asking you to a play."

Q glanced at the envelopes for a moment and turned his head away, slowly slipping his hands under his head so he could cradle it. "Figures I'd end up destroying this because of you," he grumbled. "Can't even fully blame you because I told you to get this, though I clearly heard R telling you not to get it. You must hate me because of something, right?" He asked in a hollow voice.

"I don't hate you. I want for us to enjoy this Harry Potter and the child play that I've heard you like. And I also want to apologise and arranged a meeting with her Majesty the Queen during the play." James smiled what he hoped was a hopeful smile.

Q frowned and turned to look at him, taking a small box from inside his desk and putting on a pair of magnifying goggles so he could pick up all the broken pieces of his technological baby, all the while hearing the funeral march in his mind. "007, what does Her Majesty have to do with Harry Potter?"

"Well, I've been told you admire her and she'll be watching the play as well." James shrugged. "So I thought we could drop by and say hello."

"Who doesn't admire the Queen, James?" Q sighed. "And you can't just drop by and say hello to the Queen of England.  Nice try to joke again." Q rubbed at his eyes. " I accept your offer for the play but only because I couldn't get tickets with my hectic schedule."

James crouched down in front of Q, knitting his eyebrows. "I did something wrong again, didn't I?"

"It would do you good to think that when you are told to do something, you're being told that for a very good reason." He carefully closed the lid on the little box and started to take off his gloves. "I'll work on this around my schedule."

"What is it?" James tried to snag the box from Q but the head boffin snapped the lid closed and put it in his palm print coded drawer.

"Nothing of importance." Q patted the drawer and stood up stretching. "When was the play? I must look into my schedule."

"I had the courtesy of asking Eve to clear the schedule for you in two weeks’ time, on Saturday. Just a week before Christmas. And I'd also like to take you to a restaurant in between, if you wouldn't mind." James looked up hopefully at the man and saw the slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

"W-what should I wear?" Q stuttered, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"Whatever--"

"What should I wear do they don't me a cheap harlot you picked up off the streets?" Q asked again, the blush completely gone and replaced with a frown.

"Well, I think Eve arranged a meeting with my tailor for you." James looked thoughtful.

"But..." Q disagreed.

"You won't have to spend a penny. I will take care of everything. Let me spoil you, Q, and let you know that I don't have any ill intentions of ruining the evening for you." James smiled.

Sighing and feeling a bit of warmth running through his face, Q nodded his thanks. "I will pay you back for this. Not in the bad way it sounds or in nature as some might think, but with actual money."

"As I've said, Q. I'm treating you to this, let me spoil you and woo you. I will not accept your money or your bank transfers." James shook his head.

"But..."

James came to stand next to Q. He cradled his cheek and gently brushed the skin just under his eyes. "When are you going to understand that I'm trying to apologise."

"You don't DO apologies," Q muttered, leaning a bit into James' touch. "And this isn't 'My fair Lady'."

James chuckled. "For once, you are not a tramp. Secondly, I like you more than Miss Hepburn--"

"I'll give you credit for not saying that I am prettier than her as that would be a clear lie," Q chimed in, cracking a smile.

"Well..." James shrugged. "I could argue, but I won't because I still admire you more than her." He brushed Q's cheek again. "Is that a yes then?"

"Not like you're giving me a choice, now are you?" Q teased a little, his smile suddenly disappearing. "Also, for future knowledge, please don't come in if R or anyone else tells you not to come in because they do that for a certain reason."

"But do you remember that one time when you were trying to untangle yourselves from the cables and were failing?" James added in a quiet voice.

"Well..." Q coughed. "Besides that, I mean."

"And to answer your question, no, I'm not giving you a choice. You must let me do as I want."

Q arched his eyebrow. "I am pretty sure I heard you wrong."

"You know what I meant," James murmured, barely holding back from wrapping himself around Q and snogging him silly. "I am a pest, but I am your pest and just a pest, not a tormentor."

"Not a pest, nor a tormentor. I'd say a tomcat that likes to have food and comfort from time to time." Q smiled and then suddenly leaned in. "Good thing I like taking care after strays." He pecked James suddenly on the lips and retreated. "I accept your offer. Even though I don't know how to act in front of the Queen."

James liked his lips, trying to get a taste of Q, smirking. "I am honoured." He bowed, looking up at Q. "More so than you know." He extended his hand, hoping that Q would give him his, but the man crossed them over his chest - well, he still got a peck, so that was definitely a win. "As for the queen..." He trailed off, sat back up normally and shrugged. "Nothing special, really. Well, unless you want to. But she is human, like the rest of us."

"Yes, yes. Queen is human. She's the Queen of bloody England, there's that." James had a half lipped smirk on his face.

"So..."

"I'll text you my address when the day of the play comes closer. I hope no missions will arise to need your expertise and we could enjoy it." Q tried to even out one of his cardigans.

"Do not worry, I took 3 weeks of my overdue holidays, just in case."

Q chuckled. "The last time you took a vacation like that, I asked for my vacation because I figured that you couldn't get into trouble and you managed to do just that the second I stepped out of the cab at the train station." Mister Tanner - uncle bill, his mind corrected - and a few agents that knew of his monetary condition had managed to convince the company to give him his money back.

"I promise to act kind and not to cause any uproar!" James even made a gesture over his heart in promise. "I will leave you to your gadgets now, Quartermaster. I cannot wait for the day we'll spend together." James nodded, turned on his heel and left, almost smashing into Tanner again. He swore the man was becoming his new shadow.

"You ruined his project and you're--"

"Uncle," Q cut in, voice sharp. "We've talked about this and I also discussed it with 007, so please let sleeping dogs lie."

"But I know he--"

"Uncle," Q said again, the softness in his voice mirroring the one in his eyes. "Thank you, but I am good."

"Fine." Tanner crossed his arms over his chest and Bond could swear he saw the older man huff.

Q just smiled at his uncle's antic, still not used to having someone look after him, stand behind him and support him.

"My hero," James muttered and brushed his lips against Q's cheek. "Now I want to spoil you even more."

Q chuckled, slowly shaking his head. "I fear for my projects."

"There is no need to be afraid. I will be most careful with you and all of your upcoming projects and gadgets." James finally retreated. "I will be waiting anxiously." He nodded at the still huffing Tanner and left Q's office.

"Is he giving you trouble?" Bill asked with worry. "You do know you can go to HR, yes?"

"I... like the attention he is giving me," Q said carefully, blushing. "În fact, I tend to encourage it when he isn't doing anything stupid."

Tanner came closer to Q and pulled him into a fatherly hug. "I'm so sorry we found you so late. But you must realise that you don't have to give in to Bond's lure to have human contact."

Awkwardly, Q wrapped his arms around Tanner's back, nestling his head in the crook of the man’s neck. "I am aware of that, uncle, but I want the type of contact he hints at and he's the only one I want with right now." He smiled for a moment, thinking of the small peck he had given the man just a few moments ago. "Or ever."

"But if he ever gives you hell, just tell me and I'll wreck him, double oh or not!" Bill had a look of determination on his face and Q realized that at one point or another all MI6 personnel used to be active agents.

"Worry not, uncle, I will deal with him on my own if it comes to that!"

Tanner chuckled, hugging him tighter. "I wish your tastes in lovers differed from those of your mother." His eyes filled with sadness which Q mirrored. "I shouldn't have opened that subject."

"It's okay, uncle. We can't turn my parents into white elephants and proceed to ignore them." He pulled away and started to arrange himself, checking his phone. "I have to return to my other agents now that my project is postponed."

"I'll leave you to that. And I originally came here to remind you that we are having dinner tonight at our's and we are waiting for you and your cats. Remember, the weekend in the country?" Tanner laughed at Q's sour expression.

"Yes, uncle, dully noted." Q left the room with Tanner, each going to their designated places, Q to the catwalk of Q branch, Tanner to his office and both seemed to miss a certain double oh agent lurking in the corners.

Now knowing without a doubt that Q returned his feelings - though with obvious fear caused by his abandonment issues that every orphan had - James decided to be even more careful with the way he did things. He had to be sure that Q understood that he was in it for the long run - a shock he needed a few minutes to get over when it dawned on him because he had promised himself never to fall for anyone else after Vesper - and that he truly was the world for him.

***

There was a knock on his doors which was odd because no one ever knocked when he had the doors open and windows not shaded.

"Quartermaster, I told you we have plans for after the lunch and pray tell me what are you doing with your hands deep in an engine on your table?" The dark haired woman strode into his office in her ridiculously high heels and crossed her arms when she saw him looking.

"I'm improving it," Q murmured, turning a light shade of pink because he had managed to forget their plans. "Give me 5 minutes to wash up."

Eve chuckled, touching a strand of his hair that had turned black due to oil. "I'll give you 15 minutes and do feel free to use all of the shampoo if you feel the need."

"Will I need to have freshly washed hair for where we are going?" Q took a towel and wiped his hands as best as he could.

"Yes, we will, we'll also need you to be clean and dandy because otherwise we might not be let in."

"Eve..." Q started to protest.

"No excuses, you agreed to go, and now you can't run away."

"Can I disagree?" He grumbled, slowly starting to make his ways towards the showers.

"I will hog tie you if you do," Eve joked. "Now wash and don't think about trying to sneak out through the window."

Q narrowed his eyes while starting to shed his clothes. "How do you know about the window in my personal shower?" He left a tiny gap so he could hear her replying when he finally stood naked and shivered. The quicker he did the quicker they could leave.

"Tanner told me and he knows because as the chief of staff and your uncle, he had to be sure that you had a way out in case of an emergency," she said simply, checking her nails. "Don't worry about certain agents knowing and wanting to surprise you, though; the building plans are behind two of your firewalls and he's still trying to bribe the world to get a peek at your branch's floor plans which will never work because he's trying to steal the office's sweetheart."

"I am no office sweetheart." Q mumbled and he heard Eve laugh even through the running water, shower doors and the outer doors behind which he left the woman.

It took him a while to scrub all the machinery oil out of his hair, the traitorous bastard. He got dressed as quickly as he could and emerged from the room with a towel on his shoulders because otherwise he'd be drenched in water.

"Just give me 10 minutes to dry it out and I'm ready for whatever secret plan you are having for me."

Eve arched her eyebrow, fingers itching to reach for her phone just to tease Bond and give him a very nasty case of blue balls. "You will grumble, groan, and roll your eyes when you find it out, but it is for your own good." She grinned and leaned to whisper in Q's ear. "But remember: it's from Bond with yet unproclaimed love." She pulled away and Q was a giant red tomato.

Patting his cheek, she laughed again. "And I can see how and old wolf like him fell head over heels for you."

"You don't know that Eve, so stop insinuating." Q frowned. He hoped it just wasn't some elaborate prank on him.

Eve rolled her eyes and shook her head, walking out to let Q dress himself. "Quartermaster, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Even if I say yes, you'd still ask them." He dropped his towel and started to dress quickly, shaking his head as if he was a dog.

"Has Bond ever gone out of his way this much to land himself a temporary bed warmer?"

"I am not familiar with all the affairs of the most famous Casanova of MI6 so I'll go with 'I don't know'." Q shook his head again and the droplets of water flew everywhere.

"Come here, Quartermaster, let me brush your hair for you because it seems you have no clue how to care for this monstrosity of yours." Eve procured a hairbrush from god knows where and gently pushed Q, who was finally buttoning his mustard cardigan into an office chair. "Do you ever use conditioner for your hair?" She mused while she tried to untangle his ridiculous hair.

"As you are well aware, Eve, I have no time for that."

She rolled her eyes but said nothing, continuing to brush his hair carefully. "Your Casanova never bothered beyond a restaurant date. And before you get any ideas, you're the only one he 'plagued' with his presence almost daily, you're the only one for which he volunteered to help when he was on his downtime because he usually likes to spend that with nameless people he beds, and you are the only one for  which he BEGGED my help with. "

"Fine." Q shook his hair out and ruffled it with his hand, ruining the careful combing, Eve tried to do. "I'll go to this devious trip you and Bond had planned. I just hope Q branch will remain standing."

Eve laughed at him while the head boffin tried to gather his belongings. "Don't try to pretend you are the only one holding it together."

"And don't you pretend that I am not," Q playfully shot back, arranging his cardigan. "Do you plan to blindfold me or will you just steal my glasses?"

"That won't be necessary. I trust you not to run when you see where we're going." Eve hooked her arm with Q's when he offered and they went out, leaving a mass of giggling minions behind. Q used to turn on a blind eye before Christmas as most agents were on home soil and for once there were no emergencies to run. It was a constant now that Q branch boffins would create high tech and ones before the holidays *cough* roombas *cough*

The second Q saw the building they pulled up in front of, he groaned and rested his head against the dashboard. "Eve, please tell me we're going across the street, to the shop that normal people can afford."

"And have James throw a 007 fit because I dared allow someone offend your skin?" She snorted, shaking her head. "Overly expensive tailor shop for you."

"But Eve... I could not afford even a button from any Savile row tailors Bond is frequenting." Q whined when they got out and were slowly approaching the shop. It had a sign on the doors. 'With appointments only.' It said. "And we don't have an appointment. Can we leave now?" He looked scared out of the sudden.

"But we do, Quartermaster. We do." Eve's laugh started to remind Q one of a cackling hyena with a devious plan.

"How do you not have a fluffy cat as a pet?" He asked as he was pushed inside the shop, the man behind the counter needing 0.01 seconds to shift from pity/judgmental look to happy and warm.

"Mister Quintessential!"

"I'll murder Bond," Q growled, flexing his fingers.

"Admit that you would have killed him even more if he had you down as the other Mister Bond," Eve muttered under her breath, smirking when she saw Q's almost pouty lips. "Or maybe because he hadn't weighted your hand down with one of the kitschy Bond wedding heirlooms?"

"It's just wistful dreaming..." Q started and then Eve could actually see him snapping his mouth shut and even biting the inside of his cheek as if punishing himself.

"Oh Q..." she stage whispered.

"Miss Moneypenny, let us tell you that there is no need to bully Mr. Quintessential about his affairs. And we would like to gently remind you that you are one of the rare female guests who's been invited to our shop as it's purely and exclusively designed to fit the tastes of male customers only." The sales person was a middle aged man in a five velvet suit.

Eve lowered her head a little, feeling a tinge of embarrassment making its way to her face. "I will wait for Mr. Quintessential in the parlor."

The tailor smiled, bowing a little as he held out his hand in the direction of a room. "We shall have a cup of coffee be served to you and Mr. Quintessential, please enter that room over there and I will personally come in to fit you. Now, Mr. Bond said to make as many suits as you want--"

"One will be more than fine," Q quickly cut him off. "And please, call me Q. My full name is... something of a mouthful."

"-and before you interrupted, Mr. Bond has also mentioned that the minimum amount of suits we must make you is at least two." The tailor smiled when he saw Q groan. "Worry not, Mr. Quintessential, it will take just a small bit of your time."

Q barely managed to hold back a grunt and an eye roll. "I don't suppose I can see how much the two suits cost?"

"Not on your life, Mister Quintessential," the tailor said with a bit too much pleasure in his voice, pushing Q up on a chair.  "Now please sit straight and don't suck in your gut."

Not like I have a gut, Q wanted to say, but opted instead to stress on how important it was for him to be referred to as simply Q - and also promised himself to show Bond how quintessential it was for him to get punched in the face.

"And do not think about hacking our databases, we only manage our bills on paper." The tailor chuckled joyfully.

"Mr. Quintessential doesn't have a gut." Eve interjected while sipping her tea. "I'm sure the amount of materials you will use will surprise you, him being as thin as he is."

Q also tried to insinuate for the tailor to call him Q but he failed miserably as the tailor was old fashioned and called everyone mister and all this fancy stuff.

"Q, darling, drop it already," Eve hummed into her cup. "Let him call you by your given name."

But that isn't my given name, was what the glare he was sending Eve said. "Sir, what gave you the idea that I would hack?" For that matter, how did he know that word at his age?

The man grinned, jolting down some numbers. "Mister Bond talks about you all the time. Make me something that will have me stand out in a sea of IT specialists and boring lawyers so my quintessential sees me the second I walk in." He stopped suddenly and covered his mouth, looking embarrassed. "I said too much sir, please excuse me. A tailor mustn't gossip like a hairdresser would."

Eve gave a throaty laugh and the tailor waved a measurement tape her wave. "It is inappropriate for young lady to be laughing as a drunken sailor would." He put down some measurements in the notebook and motioned for Q to stand up. "Now we'll leave the young lady to enjoy her tea alone and will go to another room to have other measurements taken." He motioned for Q to follow.

The head boffin followed obediently, surely he saw enough of the prissy and posh people to be able to rebuff all of their objections what so ever.

"Does he really talk about me? Mr. Bond, I mean." Q blushed a pretty shade of pink and the tailor smiled fondly at him.

The tailor seemed to be taken aback for a moment before kneeling before him and continuing his job. "You are his favourite subject, in all honesty. He praises your mind, bemoans when he ends up doing something that he knows will end up with you scolding him, and constantly wonders what you'd think of the suit he is buying. You are, if I may, true to your family name when it comes to Mister Bond."

Q just blushed prettily. "If I may, could you make a suit that it would take his breath away. I do not wish to impress him but I had never worn a suit like this before and I feel beyond honoured that he offered this opportunity for me as much as I hiss and whine. I would never..." He took a deep breath; it took a lot for a man to admit his limits especially when standing almost naked in a posh shop with a tailor at his feet. "Be able to afford this on my own." Q blushed again.

"A suit that will take his breath away, hm?" The man muttered as he rubbed his chin. "One that accentuates your skin's pallor" Q shook his head and the man nodded in agreement. "Something that looks painted on?" Q blushed and the man tutted. "A suit must be well made to be worthy, not too lose and not too tight because we don't want its wearer to look like a scarecrow or like he's about to explode." He hummed as he made his way towards a pile of neatly stacked fabrics. "Oh, your eyes!" He exclaimed. "Mister Bond always manages to sneak their colour in any conversation we have."

"Does he now?" Q turned away as the tailor told him too. More so glad that he could hide his as it seems ever present blush when matters turned to Bond.

"Yes, yes, he does." The tailor nodded and brought the fabrics closer to Q.

They fell silent after that, Q unable to keep a little smile off of his lips, the tailor looking quite pleased with himself.

"Have you seen Mister Bond in his navy uniform?" The man asked suddenly as he stepped back to admire his handy work.

Q just spluttered. "Never. There's never been an occasion for the navy uniform." Q suddenly fell silent again. Now a dreamy expression on his youthful face.

"In the meantime care to look at the mirror." The tailor presented a mirror to Q.

"Green, its dark green, just like..." Q was at a loss of words.

"Just like your eyes, yes." Tailor finished. "I hope it is to your liking."

Q did a little twirl in front of the mirror, smiling. "I... You are very good at this, sir." The suit was tight but not enough to restrict his movements or make it look like it was too small for him.

The tailor chuckled, rearranging the measure tape around his neck. "Mister Bond wouldn't allow for anything less than perfection to touch you, sir."

Q blushed again. "Can I show this to Eve?"

"No, Mr. Quintessential. A craft in the middle of the making cannot be shown for eyes who are supposed to see only the final piece." The tailor gently unpinned the clothing pieces from Q. "We'll do another fitting after some tea, for a suit of your choice."

"Must I?" Q whined.

"Yes," the tailor said simply as he continued to unpin everything and pass them to an assistant. "Now, I believe Mister Bond insisted on us carrying a very special kind of Earl Grey that you love."

"Did he now?" Q joined Eve on the couch. He took a small sip and groaned. "Oh yes, this is divine!"

"Are you having fun, Q?" Eve asked.

"Don't tell anyone, but it's nice to have someone jump and coddle your every whim." Q stage whispered.

"Dear me and I just sent a text to James, instructing him to treat you as if you are royalty," she muttered, holding her phone away from Q. "We're in public, Mister Quintessential."

"I will kill Bond and you can forget about those special stiletto shoes," Q growled, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. "You didn't really send him a text message like that, did you?"

"No, but I teased him about the fact that I'll see you dressed before him."

Q groaned into the dregs of his now cold tea.

"Now Mr. Quintessential, about the other suit. Any particular materials you'd like." The tailor asked.

"Velvet." Eve stated. "You should get it in dark purple velvet with a few scarves. It'd look amazing."

"Mister Bond said to throw in anything that Mister Quintessential felt that would go with the suits, so no need to worry about anything," the tailor said even before Q managed to take a breath. "And velvet..." he hummed, tilting his head to the side and rubbing his chin. “Not many people can pull it off without looking sleazy, but you sir... Yes, I believe you are among those few."

Q just hid his face in his hands and mumbled. "Fine. I know I cannot win when I'm outnumbered." He stood up. "Show me the way, I'm ready."

The tailor laughed heartily. "Mr. Bond has mentioned that you are feisty one and I can thoroughly agree with you." He gestured his hand towards the separate fitting room. "Dark purple. Hm..."

"You know, for someone who doesn't like to gossip, you sure-- Ouch!" Q sent the man who was holding a bent needle a little glare, rubbing his backside.

"So terribly sorry about that, sir." He didn't look sorry one bit, if Q was asked. "Now remember, no tucking in or attempting to look like you have more muscles than you do or else I might as well step over my heart and let you buy something off the rack."

Q just nodded in reply and slacked his stance. It wouldn't be nice to be stabbed with more needles.

"Hmmm... what should we do with the shirt. Purple... lighter shade of purple. And tie? Hmmm... let's listen to your lady friend then... scarves. Even two of them on top of one another."

The old gentleman dotted around him and threw the cloths back and forth for his assistant to catch.

"Hmmm now this looks indecently good, if I may say so myself." He chuckled. "I'm sure Mr. Bond will salivate when he'll see you..."

"I am starting to feel quite uncomfortable," Q muttered, needles be damned. "I do not exist for him to drool on and fantasize about and if I do not like the way I look, I'll refuse the suit," he made clear, tips of his ears red with anger.

"I'm sure you will like your own reflection in the mirror in this attire." Old tailor turned Q around to face the mirror.

Q gasped and covered his mouth with his hands. "Oh..."

"I take it you at least find it mediocre?" Tailor whispered.

Q just nodded silently. He couldn't tear his eyes from himself in the mirror.

"Oh, James will either be on his minutes or he'll start trying to poke the eyes of all who stare for too long," Eve said excitedly, taking a quick picture of him.

"Miss Moneypenny!" The tailor jumped, quickly pulling a separating screen to hide him.

Eve just chuckled. "This is definitely the one I'm sending Bond!" Q heard the whoosh sound that indicated that a message had been sent and groaned again.

"Out with you, miss Moneypenny! Out! I'll be most cross with you if you'll come inside again!" The old tailor looked a bit ruffled up. Certainly not used to the younger people frequenting and constantly snapping pictures of all the clothing that they had tried on.

"I'll kill her first," Q whispered to himself, only for the tailor to tut at him.

"That is not gentleman like," he reminded Q. "I shall have your suits done by noon tomorrow. Now, we normally deliver, but Mister Bond was quite, if you pardon the word, ANAL about keeping your address a secret--"

"More so because he himself is in the dark when it comes to it," he added, laughing to himself.

"Well sir, as the suits are for you and not for Mister Bond, you should come and take them yourself or send someone for them." He helped Q put his coat on, brushing unseen dust from his shoulders. "I will not release them to anyone unless they have a note from you."

***

Tanner's been drinking tea at Q's place. The man invited him and his wife for a dinner and now his nephew and his had gone to the young man's bedroom. It's been 30 minutes already and he's been wondering what are they up to.

"Dear, could you look here for a second, please?" His wife had called to him and while Bill turned to see what was she on about, he saw Q in a dark purple velvet suit standing at the doorway to his bedroom and his own wife gushing at how amazing he looked.

"You're meeting that pest, aren't you?" Tanner asked, shoving his face back in a newspaper.

"Bill," his wife hissed at him. "I think Mister Bond is a dear," she told Q, brushing his suit. "And you look stunning."

"Too stunning," Tanner grumbled. "He doesn't deserve your efforts."

"But..." Q started to object and his uncle's wife interrupted him.

"Nonsense darling, I'm sure he will be as dashing gentleman as he always is..."

"Not." Tanner finished again.

"BILL!" His wife chided the older man again. "Be nice!"

"Bond doesn't deserve Q and the young man must understand that!"

"Must I be made to feel like a teenage girl?" Q muttered, arms crossed over his chest, full glare turned to his uncle.

"If you insist on crushing on that animal like one, yes." Tanner said simply and flashed him a smile.

"You are the teenage here," his wife said, turning Q towards her so she could arrange his hair. "You look lovely, darling, and James will be speechless."

"He will after I rip his tongue with his own hands."

"BILL!!!" The woman chided him just as the doorbell rang.

"You gave the man your address?"

"Uncle, it's not as if he's some stranger I've met in a bad part of the town." Q frowned. "Now be quiet and lock the doors when you leave." Q ruffled his hair out of habit and ruined all the careful groom his aunt had done on his nest of curls. "I'm coming." He shouted when the doorbell rang again.

"Hopefully not." Bill whispered before his wife smacked him up the head.

James took a deep breath when he saw Q. "You look stunning," he said softly.

"Are you implying that---" Q's aunt grabbed Bill's ear and tugged him away before he could finish.

"Have a lovely day, dears," she called behind her shoulder, Q as red as a tomato.

"Well, that was... My aunt... And uncle..." Q was still blushing heavily.

"I'm sure they are guarding you as hawks." James said. "But I must repeat my statement, you DO look stunning. I'm glad Eve took you to my tailor." He gently closed the doors of the old elevator in Q's building and they rattled down to the ground floor.

"I must still repay you for that. The old gentleman didn't even let me take a peek at the bill even though I heard Eve gasp when she had to pay with your card." Q blushed again.

"I want you to think of them as a gift," James whispered close to his ear, holding his arm out so Q would cling to him.

"A very expensive gift," Q pointed out, trying really hard not to smile or look pleased.

"Than an apology for all the times I nicked things from your department and for... the last time we attempted to have dinner."

Q cringed inwardly as he remembered the last dinner. It was a disaster from start to finish.

"Well, then... I accept your..." Q got quiet when he saw the car Bond came with. "It's not in pieces!" was the only thing he was able to utter.

"It was rebuilt by you, from wheel alone; I had to keep it safe."

Q gently brushed his hand across the car, smiling softly. "I am pleasantly surprised, James."

James placed his hand over Q's, moving in really close. "A great start then."

"STEP AWAY FROM MY NEPHEW OR THIS BUCKET OF WATER GETS DROPPED ON YOUR HEAD," Tanner shouted from Q's apartment, his wife's voice booming over his as she promised that he'll follow the water out the window.

Q chuckled quietly. "Shall we go now before my uncle ruins both of our suits and we have to spend the remainder of the day trying to get dry?"

James nodded and opened the door for young man, quickly walking around the car he heard the last of Tanner's words before the window was slammed shut.

"... And I'll hang them in the Q branch for everyone to see as a warning!"

Pulling the car into the traffic James looked at Q who was now gazing out the window. "I hope you uncle doesn't keep his promise."

Q patted his leg. "I shan't let him, fear not. That is reserved for me if you mock me," he added under his breath.

James turned his attention back to him, allowing himself to catch a red light so that he might cup his chin. "I'll never do it."

Q leaned in for a moment but jumped as if frightened when a car behind them honked loudly. James leaned in and pecked him on the lips, absolutely ignoring the cars behind them or the green light in front of them.

"If we don't go now," Q muttered against James' lips, "we'll miss the show."

"Hard not to be distracted," James said as he started the car back up again and passed the intersection just as the light turned yellow.

***

Aston stopped not far from the theatre.

"We'll go on foot from here on." James was out of the car in seconds and opening the door to Q. And even offering Q his hand. The head boffin blushed and accepted graciously.

"You shan't ever hear me say this ever again," Q started in a soft voice, had lowered to avoid looking James in the eyes, "but I can understand why you are the preferred 'honey' for those missions."

James hummed, running his thumb over Q's knuckles. "I take it that you are slowly putting me back on your good list."

"You were never on the list of bad ones, just another special list for you alone. 'Annoying me till hell freezes' list." Q looked at Bond, his features soft and pliant.

"I'm glad then to be so special as to warrant a special list." They approached the theatre with many other theatre goers and slowly went inside.

Q was starting to fidget.

"Q, stop fretting." James still had Q's hand in his own, he gently pulled it closer to his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles. Q heard someone 'aww' behind them and blushed again.

"I'm not fretting. It's not everyday someone meets the Queen."

"Well, the queen should be the one fretting and fidgeting because she's about to meet you,” James whispered, winking at him and patting his hand gently.

Q rolled his eyes. "Now you're just exaggerating."

James just shook his head at Q while showing tickets to the staff and navigating them both to their seats in the sixth row. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a blonde woman in 50s sitting alone next to their seats. She was not the Queen. Queen was old and well regal and while this woman looked regal and sophisticated she certainly was not the Queen of England.

Q stopped dead in his tracks, squeezing the life out of James' hand. "Do I look decent? Or do I look like a vagabond pimp? How's my hair? Do I smell? Quick, are my teeth white enough? I think I used too much aftershave! "

"Q, stop fretting, you are fine. This woman though... I must get rid of her before the Queen comes." James stepped forward but stopped in his tracks when he heard his Quartermaster's plea.

"James... James... Please, please tell me you know who she is?"

"I know she's not the queen of England and we must make her leave!"

Q swatted at his arm. "That is the queen you git! It's JK Rowling!"

"Who?" Not the best question to ask if the way Q was glaring at him was any indication.

"The author of Harry Potter," he hissed. "That's it; you're reading the books when we get home."

As they were arguing while approaching the woman she heard them and laughed.

"See, now we're going to be a laughing stock for years to come!" Q whined and promptly shut his mouth closed when he saw the writer smiling at them.

"I've been told I'll meet someone remarkable in the theatre and I feel that it's the two of you."

James felt as if Q didn't really pay attention to the play, hands fisted in his lap as he did his best not to outright beam and blind the Queen that wasn't really the queen. Then again, he himself didn't really pay attention to the play, too busy to pat himself on the back for how happy Q felt.

The applause woke James up from his stupor. He saw Q giving a standing ovation along with most of the theatre goers and he stood up obediently before Q started to shoot daggers his way.

When the ovation was over Q fidgeted again, the woman next to him smiling gently.

"Would I bother you too much if I asked for a picture and an autograph. I'm sure this is the only chance for me to meet you." He heard Q mutter.

James also ended up in the picture taken by another excited fan, not that he minded because Q was all smiles and was holding his hand super tightly, his heart beating so fast and hard that he could feel it.

"Q, I think it's time we go and have dinner." James looked at his watch. "If we want to be back in time."

"If we must." Q slumped his shoulders and relented. "Feed me then!" He smiled at the other man.

Oh and how he wanted to feed him, put him on a canopy and give him grapes, offer himself as the man's plate, but alas they were in public so normal way it was then.

"This restaurant, you will love," James promised as he led him back to his car.

"If it's not like the last one, I'm sure I'll be fine." Q sat down and was now clutching his signed ticket like it was worth a million.

"It's nothing like the last one." James revived engine and they drove off. He was so glad he chose Angelo's.

James let out a sigh of relief when he felt Q relax once he saw the way the locale looked like. The waiter greeted them with a smile, not caring a single wink that they were both male or that they were dressed in a certain way, the people around them much too busy with each other or their own plates to care who was walking around.

"I'm so hungry I could eat everything," Q admitted in half a voice, the tip of his tongue passing over his pink lips and making James hungry for something else.

"I'm sure we can arrange something to tame the hunger beast. At least for a while." James said with a wink, that also making Q blush.

The Quartermaster was so different from how James knew him at work. He was more relaxed. Blushed easier and his comebacks weren't as clipped.

"What would you suggest I order?" Q suddenly asked after leafing through the menu for a while.

"Their beef stroganoff is quite delicious and they have a heavily oaks Merlot that brings out the taste even more," James started to explain, hand over Q's.

"Oh, I never had that kind of beef and..." He trailed off and ducked his head. "I can't have more than a glass of wine. I get drunk really easy."

"Then just one glass of wine and a glass of Merlot." James told the waiter who came to take their drinks' order.

Q played with his glass of wine more than drunk it while waiting for their food to arrive, chuckling at James' jokes - or at him; the jury was still out on that. When their food finally came, Q licked his lips and pulled closer to the table. "It smells divine."

"Go on and taste it." James nudged Q's plate closer to him and watched the other man close his eyes and inhale. He swore that if Q will let him to take him out to more dinners, James will spoil the man's taste rotten for anyone else to try and woo him over.

The moan that Q let out when he finally took a small taste of his steak had James jealous of the cooks. "Oh James," nice and steady, the agent told himself at Q's purr of his name, "this is so good. I want more."

"I can assure you that I have our dinner planned as well." James reassured Q, gently caressing his hand that was still on the table and close to him.

"If that won't be too much of a bother." Q mumbled into his wine glass.

"Trust me, it will be my pleasure."

"Now, Mister Bond, if you keep saying that then I will find myself in the position of letting you plan a lot of other dinners," Q said softly, a little twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't tease an old man," James shot back, now squeezing his hand.

"I'm not." Q still had the twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, then, I'll be sure to arrange a lot of other dinners and lunches for us to share and enjoy." James smiled.

He had to admit, Q's moans with the beefstrogens were indecent and he was wondering what will happen when they went to their dinner after the play.

***

There were a few scenes that got Q to curl closer to him, but not because he was necessarily scared. No, those scenes had surprise raggedy dolls - Dementors, Q whispered - that had him reach for his weapon and his young Quartermaster had to be sure that he didn't do anything stupid.

The play ended with another standing ovation and James had to admit it that even if he hadn't understood more than half of the references, he enjoyed it. If he was being honest, it was more because Q was next to him.

"Ready for the dinner?"

"I am not as hungry as before, but yes." Q linked their arms together and James couldn't help but smile, leaning a bit closer to him

People were busy leaving the theatre and heading towards the stage. Q looked hopefully that way but he didn't dare to ask for James to wait more and in the cold.

But James just nudged him towards where all the people were lining up and the man just beamed at him.

"A kiss for good luck?" Q said after a moment, puckering his lips up and leaning forward slightly.

As if James was going to waste this opportunity. Gently cupping his chin, he took a moment to burn the sight of the expectant Q in his mind, his eyes closed, lips a shade away from the colour of blood, cheeks rosy, and he thanked Eve.

The kiss was chaste and sweet and lasted not long enough for James' liking because there were people awing at them and even snapping some pictures of them.

"I'll deal with the pictures on our way to the restaurant," Q muttered against James' lips before pulling away. "Don't take care of them, James," he said in a warning way before dashing away, giddy like a child on Christmas day.

It was a bit of a wait before the cast came out to sign the books and brochures and snap the pictures of waiting fans. Bond silently lurking, protecting his Quartermaster from overzealous people.

"Thank you very much, I've enjoyed the show immensely." He heard Q whisper to one of the main cast.

He planned on giving Q a private show later on - if he were allowed, of course - and he hoped Q would say that to him after everything was over, maybe even punctuate it with a nuzzling and a kiss and a repeat of it.

"You can be really creepy," Eve's voice came out of nowhere; James relaxed despite the surprise because he had smelled her perfume from a mile away.

"And you are intruding, my dear." He turned serious instantly. "What happened? "

She shrugged. "Bill asked me to have Q sign something."

"Not important, I am sure." James rolled his eyes when Eve nodded. "How did you get in here?"

"Flashed them my badge and said that I was on MI6 business and they let me in. Got to say that the Dementor scene was quite nice."

Bloody woman made him grovel for nothing.

Q suddenly appeared out of nowhere and his previously happy mood disappeared when he saw Eve talking with James.

"Moneypenny, what happened? What's wrong?" He looked at the woman with worry in his eyes.

"Nothing to worry your curly head about, just some papers your uncle forced me to bring here under the pretense of signing but just worrying about your wellbeing." She waived the said paper in front of his eyes and folded it back up into her purse. "I wish you a pleasant evening."

Q grabbed her arm. "Give me the papers or else hell rope 009 into this." The woman handed him the documents and James turned with his back to him, turning himself into a desk. "Let's see..." Q murmured as he started to read, frowning deeply. "I hereby agree to allow for one James Bond to be castrated if his lips so much..." He trailed off and turned the papers over, starting to write something on them.

After a few seconds of scribbling he folded the paper into a square and gave it back to Eve.

"Give this back to my uncle, Eve." Q smiled serenely.

"Q..." Eve started.

"I don't want to hear anything." Q straightened up as much as he could. "James and I are leaving for our dinner. Have a lovely night!" He hooked his arm with James and dragged the sniggering man away.

"I don't think your uncle will ever like me," James said as he held the door open for Q, running his hand down his arm before buckling him in.

Q grabbed his tie to stop him from moving away, their noses touching. "You'll grown on him like you did on me."

James closed the distance and kissed him on the tip of his nose. Q wrinkled it adorably and scrunched up.

"Let's go to have the said dinner, I'm actually hungry." Q laughed when James hurried to the driver's side, sat in the car and revived the engine.

"Whatever you wish for!"

"After dinner," Q said after a moment, fisting his hands in his lap, eyes glued to the road, "do you want to come over for coffee?" It was safe to say that his red face put tomatoes to shame.

"I don't think it is wise, Q." James caressed his knuckles when they stopped at a red light.

"Oh... that's alright then." Q wriggled his hands together. "You can drop me off at the tube station next to the Piccadilly. I'll just go home."

"No, Q..." He trailed off and sighed, fully turning to face him and taking his hands in his. "You have no idea of how much I want to sleep with you-"

"Don't make me feel even more horrible than I do right now," Q murmured, freeing his hands. "It's green so you best start driving."

"Q..."

"It's green. You are jamming the street." Q whispered.

"Q..."

"Please stop!" The Quartermaster demanded.

"We should have dinner and then I'll drop you off at your flat."

"At the subway station," Q corrected him, taking a shaky breath. Whatever he wished for except a night all to himself, it seemed.

This had to be a first, right? James turning someone down? He never heard of that happening so what did he do wrong? Did his breath start to smell? Too much of a geek for him? It definitely had to be the geek part. Or maybe he was too clingy? He had held on tightly too him without being invited, so...

Well, then so be it. James proves that he could have the Quartermaster if he wanted and lost interest in him afterwards, so Q was sure that he will lose interest as well. So what if he'd thought about the man since he became a simple MI6 programmer?

"Q, I can see the gears turn behind your expressive eyes." James started and Q shook himself because he hadn't realised the car had stopped. "And before you think of yourself as unworthy or me just playing with you, please stop. That is not true. And I don't want it to be just a one night stand as you seem to think so. I want so much more with you than a night of passion." James turned Q's head to face him because the other man had turned away and was looking out the window. "Please, look at me." When the cold glare was directed his way, James continued. "I must admit that I want you more than anything, writhing underneath me and moaning my name in the throes of passion. But I want more with you..." "You have a way with words, Mister Bond," Q all bit spat at him. "I take it we are here? Because all I want is a glass of water and nothing else."

James ran his thumb over his lower lip before resting their foreheads together. "Q, again, do you think I'd go through all of this just to sleep with you and then say no at the end? And before you say it, I am not doing this out of respect for you, not because I am afraid of your uncle which I could easily crush with my bare hands."

"And you are now threatening the only family I have recently found." Q looked furious. "How dare you?"

Q opened the doors to the car and scrambled out. He looked back at Bond who was still sitting in his car looking forlorn and sad.

"Let’s have this dinner and be done with that!" Q crossed his arms over his chest.

"I didn't mean it like that," James argued after his brain started working again, struggling to get out of the car before Q rolled his eyes and got in to unbuckle his seat belt - moment in which James grabbed his arm and pulled him close. "Are we really having an argument over when we're going to sleep together?"

"Obviously we are not since we both agreed that NEVER is the correct answer and I wouldn't insist when my would-be partner said now." He shoved his elbow in James' throat and started to try to slide away. "We are arguing over the fact that you want to kill the only LIVING relative I have left!"

"Q stop..." James wrestled Q's arms behind his back in order to stop him from struggling. "I am not going to kill anyone, unless it's on a mission." He slid his hands towards the narrow wrists of Q's hands. "Please stop, Q." When the man stopped trying to slither his way out James added. "I am not going to kill anyone, and I'm not going... Please stop wriggling. I'm not going to sleep with you tonight. But I hope we will, once you realize I am worthy to share your body." James looked at Q's eyes. "More than once, if you consider me worthy enough."

Q growled. "I consider you infuriating right now and full of bullshit. And don't ever EVER joke about hurting my family." His voice cracked at the end which prompted James to pull him in a hug, releasing Q's hands.

"I'd never hurt your family," he whispered in his ear, nuzzling it. "Well, unless they are actively trying to hurt you."

Suddenly there was a knock on the car window. James and Q looked to where the sound came from and found a constable looking down at them.

"Sirs, are you alright?" The middle aged man asked with worry.

Q burst out laughing. "Yes, yes we are." He looked hopefully at James. "Just a lover's misunderstanding, I assure you." He slid out of James lap and got out of the car. "Where is this restaurant you spoke of?"

The constable suddenly turned his head away. "M-maybe you gents would like to sit at a respectable distance from one another in the car, with the windows rolled down for a few minutes? So I won't be forced to give you a fine for indecent exposure?"

Q was back in the car, his jacket over his lap, hands over his face in an instant. "This isn't happening."

James just laughed. "We'll be sure to do this, sir."

The constable tipped his hat and was out on his way.

There were a few moments of silence before both of the men started laughing.

"Am I forgiven then?" James said between laughing bits, wiping tears from his eyes.

"If you promise to never mention to anyone that I threw myself at you like a dog in heat, yes," Q wheezed out.

"Don't call yourself that." James chided him and motioned for the Quartermaster to exit the car.

Climbing out of the car Q put on his jacket back on and smiled at the other man.

"Where is that restaurant? I'm getting quite hungry!" He glared at James. "For food, you pervert!"

James wanted to say that he had kept his cool when Q said he was thirsty, but they just made up and he didn't want to go through it again. "Actually, the restaurant is in my apartment and I am your private chef."

"Please, tell me you are joking?" Q wrung his hands again, getting flustered.

"No, I am not." James offered his arm again. "Shall we go now, Quartermaster." the blonde saw eyeing his signed copy of the book with sadness. "And don't forget to bring your book with you. And if it's not too much, how about we watch first of those Harry Potter movies after dinner?"

Q tried his best to keep his excitement hidden. "Be warned that there are a total of 8 movies and once you see the first one, you'll want to see all of them."

James was ready to watch whatever Q wanted to so he didn't doubt his words especially since Q's entire face lit up when he saw something he loved.

"I'm sure I can do that." James unlocked the doors to his apartment building. "Please, mind the small step." He carefully put his hand on the small of Q's back, slowly guiding him towards the elevator. When the doors closed, he pushed the P button. At Q's raised eyebrow, he explained. "Penthouse."

"But of course." Q clutched the book to his chest as if shielding himself, suddenly aware of the fact that they were finally alone in an enclosed space.

James leaned against the other side of the elevator, chuckling. "I am going to do a faux pas, but I will remind you darling and slightly nervous Q, that you had invited me to have coffee not too long ago."

Q mumbled something under his breath and began to fidget.

"Darling Q," James whispered into his ear. "I will not do anything unless you agree to it willingly. I am no molester. For now I'm content to make you a large dinner and watch a movie if you so desire."

The look of relief that washed over Q told James everything he needed to know about his snarky Quartermaster's expectations.

Q snorted a second later, shaking his head. "I can't seem to make up my mind, can I? I want you to do me one minute and then the other, I am afraid that you changed your mind about doing me and I don't."

James smiled, tugging him in his arms and nuzzling his neck. "Another reason why I turned down your coffee offer earlier."

"But does it mean you'll turn it down later. Not tonight though, but just..." Q looked up at James and added. "Later?"

"Of course not, darling, I wouldn't dream of it." James turned to unlock the doors. The only doors on the floor, Q noted.

"This is the only way you can truly escape annoying neighbours," James explained off handedly as he unlocked the actual apartment door.

"Don't tell me the floor beneath you is your private pool," Q joked, glancing at his shoes as if he was thinking of taking them off not to dirty James' house.

After a moment or so, he decided and toed off his shoes to a side.

"What are you doing, Q?" James asked when he saw Q walking in his socks.

"Keeping your carpets clean?" The young man asked in reply.

"Then I'd better turn on the floor heating." James went to the living room and apparently some gadgets.

Q just groaned.

"I have a Netflix account, so you can search in there for Harry Potter," James said over his shoulder, feeling the floor around with a hand while fiddling with someone knobs with the other.

"I don't know your logins," Q called out, trying really hard not to simply hack into it.

James turned and grinned at him, unbuttoning his jacket. "There is a rumour that they found you when you were playing around with our firewall and that they managed to do that only because you let them..."

" I didn't want to impose." Q brushed. "Even though, it is quite true. I let myself get caught because something had to be done as the security of those firewalls was ridiculous." Q huffed. "I'm lining the first movie up."

"And I'm bringing the tea and some apple pie." James kept silent about the fact that the apple pie was hot and there was ice cream with it.

Which, in hindsight, he shouldn't have done because not a second later than the plate touching the coffee table and Q was rubbing his burned tongue with the ice cream. "I assumed you'd feel the fact that it's hot."

"We were out! How was I supposed to know you had a magical oven that kept things this hot?" Q whined. "That or you are a wizard and baked it while talking with me."

"Um... Surprise." James patted him on the back. "You can get rid of your coat jacket if you want to." He added while unbuttoning his.

James noted that Q had a waistcoat under his jacket, he secretly loved them but could never wear them because of his built but he always loved a handsome man in one.

"You wasted too much money on these," Q said as he carefully placed the coat in his hands, brushing his hand over it.

"You don't like them? I told him to make them so that you--"

"I love them," Q interrupted the panicking James, plucking nonexistent specks of dust from his shirt. "I just won't have anywhere else to wear them, that's all."

"Well, then I can hopefully invite you to more dinners, so we could brush the dust from them." James looked at Q hopefully.

"I'd like that. I'd like that very much." Q smiled shyly. "Shall we watch the movie now or..."

"Let's watch it now. I have so many questions after the play."

"So you were paying attention."

"Of course I was." James bit his tongue with want to add the bit where he wanted to say that he was paying attention to everything Q enjoyed and loved.

Q drooled when he slept. Q was also capable of sleeping in positions that James to be very uncomfortable, but since he looked so peaceful, he made no attempt to wake him up - and also because his chest was Q's pillow.

The movie was interesting and he thought he saw somethings that resembled the half-finished prototypes Q didn't know he snooped on. The child-acting was...bearable and the adults were respected actors so he saw no issue there. And Q nuzzled his chest and moved closer to him, licking his lips and smiling just a tiny bit.

"Can I wake up to this every morning?"

"James..." Q whispered and suddenly the blonde though Q feigned sleep. He was almost apologising for asking such a silly question but before he could do that he felt Quartermaster snuggling even closer to him and the agent realised Q was talking in his sleep.

"James is here, Q..."

"Don't... leave..."

"I won't," James whispered in his ear, moving around carefully so he could lift Q up in his arms. "I will apologize for moving you to my bedroom, but lord knows you need to sleep on the most comfortable surface in the world." Q muttered something as James used his foot to open his bedroom door. "I won't sleep next to you, don't worry; I don't want to give you a heart attack or myself a broken nose."

He gently deposited the sleeping man on the bed and after digging in his closet a bit, he covered Q in a spare blanket he had for guests, that meant never. Even though when he tried to leave, Quartermaster frowned.

"No need for this now, Q." James brushed the silky hair from Q's face and before he could stop himself, he gently brushed his lips in a ghost kiss on Q's forehead. "Good night, my tired and sleepy Q!"

He fell asleep watching Q's movies and actually dreamt pleasant things for the first time in years - although he did wake up suddenly when Tanner opened his mouth and a giant snake rushed out at him, hissing about wanting his balls.

"I need a new sofa," he murmured and turned with his back to the TV, pulling a pillow over his head because the old man in the much too bright train station was burning his eyes.

He fell asleep again almost instantly and woke up only to hear someone whisper and dishes clattering.

"Shit shit... where does he keep the kettle? Any kettle?" Q was whispering to himself.

James just smiled to himself and continued to feign sleep.

In the end, he settled for a pot and noticed the coffee maker only when he was pouring James his coffee, groaning when he looked at the mess that he had to scrub. "I somehow always end up having to work more when he's involved, don't I?" He asked his own reflection, glancing at the message he had received about that sudden meeting he had to attend in two hours. "I'll start putting trackers on everything he has."

James gave a small cough as if to indicate he just woke up on the couch. He heard more cursing and dishes clattering in the kitchen and a moment later a disheveled looking Q showed up in the doorway, holding two cups of steaming liquid.

"Good morning." He greeted.

"Thank you for last night," Q said softly, holding the cup towards James. "I didn't mean to wake you and I'll clean the pot--"

"Leave it and come.kiss me good morning,” James prompted, holding his hand out towards him.

"Ah, I actually have to go..."

"Go where? It's Saturday. Weren't you supposed to have a day off so we can watch all the movies?" James sat up and took the offered cup.

"Well, yes. But I have an emergency at MI6." Q blushed. "And I think I might need a lift, my head is making me a bit dizzy." Q blushed.

"I will, if you'll give me a good morning kiss and promise to have lunch with me after you're done?" James asked.

Q turned red. "I did not wash my teeth yet. I want to..." He trailed off and took a big gulp of his own mug, looking like he was about to puke.

"I'll buy tea on our way back."

Q tried to brush out the wrinkles in his dress shirt, glad for the fact that James took courtesy of taking off his vest.

"You don't have a shirt in my size now do you?"

"As much as I'd love to have clothes that fit you in my house for no reason, I do still have an ounce of sanity in me," James said as he smoothly got up from the sofa and brushed his hands down Q's back. "I can iron it for you, if you want."

"Would you really?" Q looked at James with wonder in his eyes.

"Would I really what?" James looked confused at Q.

"Would you.... never mind. It's a silly thought. Of course you wouldn't want to live together."

Sneaking his arms around Q and starting to unbutton his shirt, James made sure that his lips would be brushing against his neck as he spoke. "Darling, nothing would give me grater pleasure. Well..." He trailed off, chuckling. "I thought you were surprised I iron."

"I'm surprised you cook," Q admitted, more than distracted as he tilted his head to give James more room. What was he doing?

Apparently they were now necking like bloody teenagers with his shirt unbuttoned. He felt James' hands sneaking into his shirt and starting to tweak his nipples. Just as he thought of forgetting his duty on a Saturday morning, his phone pinged again as if to remind him that there was crisis to be averted.

"Ungh... James, please later...." He pulled away from the blonde spy with difficulty.

James hummed, sneaking one final nibble before pulling Q's shirt off and taking it with him in a room next to the bathroom. "Not the word that I wanted to hear after 'please', but I understand that duty comes first right now." He carefully placed the shirt on a hanger and opened a cupboard from where he pulled out an iron. "I'll be quick about this and then we'll go, I promise."

Q shivered at the sudden cold and he sat awkwardly with his arms wrapped around himself at the foot of the door. "Thank you and you really don't have to wait for me-"

"And yet, I want to," James cut in, turning the shirt over and continuing to iron it, looking more like a 'house-husband' than a deadly agent. "I can either drop you at home or we can stop there so you can freshen up and then return here, if you want?"

There was a bit of hope in his voice and a lot of temptation in Q's mind.

"Well, if you are offering, maybe I can get a change of clothing, more comfortable than a suit..." Q blushed. "I mean it's very comfortable and I don't want to ruin it by lounging on the sofa." He took the shirt James offered him and started to button it up done with it he looked forlornly at the tie and blushed again. "Could you by any means tie my tie?"

James just raised his eyebrow and Q explained. "I watched YouTube tutorial to tie it properly. Wouldn't be able to do it from memory!"

James grinned and guided Q in front of a full length mirror, positioning himself behind him. "I always suspected you had clip-on ties."

"They do their job and no one really notice that they aren't the real deal," Q muttered, watching James tying his tie for him. "Thank you," he said after the man was done, turning his head and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"If you have problems taking it off later on..." James trailed off and smiled, holding the jacket for him to put on.

"I'll be sure to ask you for help." Q laughed. "Come on now, we must hurry before MI6 will crumble!" He watched cautiously how James got dressed, but instead of the usual perfect suit he just put on jeans and, white shirt and a cardigan of all things!

While Q was struggling with his dress shoes and coat, Bond looked like he was just dressed to be cozy and warm.

"It started to snow outside. Better later up!" James offered the younger man his blue scarf and they finally went out, Q's phone lying forgotten on the bedside table.

Q tried to hide his shiver while walking towards the car and the fact that he was sniffing James' scarf, but it was rather impossible to hide anything from the secret agent and the man draped his jacket over him when they finally got in the car, wasting no time in turning the heat on. "Might I suggest you pack a little duffle bag with extra clothes in case it gets even colder than now? And some clothes for you to sleep in just in case you want to take a nap?"

"I can only stay for one night. My cat... Turing is neglected as he is. I don't want to leave him all on his own." Q snuggled deeper into the offered jacket and James swore he could hear him purring.

"Is it hard for him to adapt to new places?" James took them out of the underground garage and was navigating the snowed in streets slowly.

"I changed enough dumps for him not to..." Q stopped suddenly, eyes narrowed. "I am getting an idea."

"Might be the right idea," James hummed, taking his hand off of the gearbox to squeeze Q's hand.

"You said last night that it might be too early?" He was doing his best not to start chewing on his lip.

"Well, I've been thinking-"

"A bloody miracle," Q said before he could stop himself.

"Miracles to happen every now and then," James chimed in, chuckling. "But what would you say?"

"Yes."

They stopped at the traffic light and James just leaned over the gear shift and kissed Q speechless, as if sucking all air out of him.

"It is settled then. We can take your cat and all the necessities and then take it all in over gradually." There was a car honking behind them as it was green again but neither man was paying it any attention. 

"Isn’t it too soon?" Q asked breathless when they finally had to breathe.

"I've been obsessed with you, if you haven't seen it, since the day we've met. But I've been... An utter bastard to act on it."

Q felt his face burning. "I was sure you were obsessed with my tech."

"See? An utter prick, " James insisted, giving in and starting up the car just in time for the light to turn red the second he drove away.

"I think I should be a bit turned off about you admitting that you're obsessed with me," Q contemplated and James' grin rivaled that of the Cheshire cat.

"But you're turned on, are you not?"

Q looked at his hands resting on his lap and nodded. "Very much so! Is that weird?"

"Trust me, no more than me being enamoured with you." James smiled and took a turn and there it was. MI6 just over the bridge.

Q's smile dropped and his excitement was instantly replaced by apprehension. "Why would that be strange? "

Mentally kicking himself, James wondered if he could shove his foot in his mouth and not crash the car. "I was referring to me galling in love in general, not that I love you." James parked the car in front the building and turned to grab Q's hands. "Q, I love you. "

"Are you sure?"

"Usually people reply with their own statement." James started to joke but at Q's worried face he got serious. "Yes, Q, I am sure. I never thought I will fall in love again after Vesper but there you came in and caused ruckus in my world, turning it upside down. I do love you. Do you think I'd invite anyone and their cat to live with me?"

"Well..."

James hugged him tightly. "Much to everyone's disappointment I'm not a MI6 whore."

"I'm not disappointed with that," Q whispered as he returned the hug, nuzzling James' neck. "But uncle will have a field day."

"We'll cross that bridge when we have to," James assured him and moved to kiss him again, easily unbuckling him and pulling him in his lap.

They were necking again as teenagers before someone was opening the doors and pulling Q off Bond's laugh. James feeling surprised couldn't even understand where his gun had gone and it took him a moment to realise that he forgot to take it, Q was too much of a distraction. Before he and with his fists towards whomever who took Q away from him, the boffin was in front of him again, pressing gentle kisses to his cheeks and lips.

"It's ok, James, it's ok."

Relaxing and wrapping his arms around him again, taking a deep breath to allow Q's smell to fully calm him down, James sent a glare to the man responsible for his mini heart attack. "You should know that doing that is a horrible idea, Tanner."

"As is acting like a bunch of honey teenagers," the man growled, but did little to move and attempt to dislodge his nephew from the tight hug. "We were worried sick last night."

"Uncle," Q started and James just knew there will be a rant onwards. "I've told you I'm going to a play with James. Two part play with dinner afterwards. Did you expect me to come back home before 11? I know you worry, but I am a grown man and can take care of myself."

Tanner let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am aware of that, Q, just like I am aware that Bond falls in and out of love faster than I can change my socks." He ignored the fact that Q was still in James' arms and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't want you to suffer, Q."

"We have that in common, Tanner," James started. "The fact that neither one of us wants Q to suffer, I mean."

Tanner sighed. "At least we can agree on that. Go ahead, Q branch is in shambles without the overlord.

James let Q go and the young boffin went to hug his uncle. "Thank you... for worrying... for being here."

"You just have to remember, Q, that you're not alone anymore." Bill patted him on the back.

"I was thinking of breaking your mouth if you had him called to work just to get him away from me," James muttered as he watched Q run in the building.

Tanner sighed, cracking his knuckles. "I know that I am a pencil pusher, Bond, but for my family I will turn into a double oh killer."

"Duly noted." James let Tanner enter first and then headed towards the Q branch where he was sure he'll find his lover? Boyfriend?

"Get the things ready!" He heard Q shout over the expanse of the open area.

"It would be for the best if you keep to the shadows," Tanner said seriously. "Things are not going as planned," he added carefully.

They rarely every did, James silently mused, moving to sit at an empty desk where he was out of the way, but still able to see what was happening. The way he saw Q right then, ordering people left and right without looking away from the screen, was like a strict conductor who was giving his soul to mesmerize the audience and if the faces of his new minions were anything to go by, he was doing a damned fine job of that.

"Do you think he's this commanding in bed?" And that classless question right there brought the symphony to a stop as far as James was concerned, the agent jumping up and throwing his arm around the now frozen boffin.

"I am afraid he is taken," a strong squeeze of his shoulders, "and I assure you that it is not proper work etiquette to wonder that of your superior." He was now wondering that for himself, though he suspected that Q was going to be beyond shy and self-conscious the first few times they do it. "He'll probably want the lights to be off," he mused out loud, his victim even more confused.

"He's taken by whom?" The still clueless employee asked. "I don't see a ring on his finger?"

James right hand was already twitching for his gun that wasn't there.

"James, please don't." He heard Q whisper into his ear. "I'll wrap this up soon and we can leave."

"Fine, fine. I'll back off." James raised his hands off the man. "But if you ever dare to ask Quartermaster such personal questions... I'll..." James suddenly shut up when he saw Q looking in his direction. "I'm just giving him a friendly warning."

"I'm sure you are, double oh seven. Now let my minions do their work and retreat to your corner." Q waved his finger in James' direction.

Whipped is what he was, he knew instantly, but then again Q had him under his foot the second he had become Quartermaster and proved that he had no issue keeping up with him. "What agent is in trouble?" He asked the minion who appeared to be on cup cleaning duty.

The little computer mouse took a moment. "009."

This was his day. "Thank--"

"Stop grinning," Q said without looking at him. "And you take a right turn and jump down in the sewer. I have already sent an update to your phone with the route that you need to follow."

"But Quartermaster. It seems like my birthday came earlier and Christmas as well." James was still grinning.

"Christmas will be here soon anyway. The day after tomorrow and... 009, I said right, right! Not left!!!"

Oh yes, it was definitely his day or even his weekend, that with Q agreeing to spend time together and agreeing to move in with him.

"Q, when do you think you'll be free?" James wanted nothing more than to cuddle with his Quartermaster and eat Chinese takeaway while watching Harry Potter. He had to admit it that those three kids and he who must not be named got him hooked.

"As soon as 009 is on the barge that's set to transport him out of the country," Q said without stopping from his typing. "This should be in about half an hour tops if 009 would be so kind as to actually follow what his phone is saying," he added, the frustrated part being obviously directed towards the agent in question. "And you could be decent enough not to gloat over him being in trouble as he isn't even here to see it in the first place."

"Oh, but I am sure that he can feel me through the speakers," James muttered gleefully.

***

Q was lying. It took him more than half an hour, it took him two. Both of which James spent dozing on the chair next to the catwalk of the Q branch, right next to Q.

Someone was shaking his shoulder and he opened his eyes suddenly towards the harsh bright light. "I'm awake, awake."

"That's good, James. I mean, I'm done with the emergency if you'd like to go."

James took Q's hand and rubbed his face against it, needing a moment to remember where they were. "If I go start up the car, do I have a guarantee that you won't be roped into another mission or side project?" The question was directed to the room and not to Q, their intimate position acting like the choir of angels that everyone seemed to need to get the point of what was going on - but in their defense, James tended to spend a lot of time around Q so they really needed something to smack them over their heads to get the point.

"We won't bother the Quartermaster unless it is an emergency," the weekend R - W, if his name tag wasn't there to pull his leg - promised and James helped Q put his jacket on.

"I'll hold you to that, R." James muttered as he was passing the right hand of Q.

"I'll keep him in check, sir!" The young man nodded.

"10 minutes, Quartermaster, 10 minutes!"

"I'll keep that promise, lover!" Q replied with, and then suddenly blushed at the slip of his tongue.

James grinned and tugged Q in his arms, rubbing their noses together. "I shall permit to steal a kiss from you." He easily turned Q with his back to his fully frozen coworkers. "You all, either turn around or go to back to work."

"James, don't order around my minions," Q chided him with half a mouth, eyes closed.

"I'm not." James rubbed their noses once again and then kissed the waiting boffin gently. It looked like it once again lasted forever but it was a short kiss because someone coughed behind them.

"I thought it was your days off, Quartermaster?"

Of course Q was startled and was quick to move from James' arms, but he still held on to his hand. "There was an emergency and I was called in."

M hummed and then shifted his attention to James, the man greeting his inquisitive look with a huge grin. "I am here in tea duty."

"Tea duty it is then. Off with the two of you." M crossed his hands over. "I don't want to see either of you for the rest of the weekend and Monday too."

"But..."

"No arguments, Quartermaster."

"Thank you," Q breathed out, squeezing James' hand. "If there's an emergency--"

"Only if there's an emergency, Quartermaster." Mallory turned to grin at James. "Take the civilian out of the building, please."

"Civilian? Who do you call civilian?" Bond fumed.

"Come along James, you dressed in a sweater and jeans.... People might think you even had retired from active duty and now are being a house husband." Q joked and then covered his mouth with his hand.

"Yes, yes, fine."

Tanner appeared besides Mallory, strained smile. "I do not suppose that I might be the one to take the Quarter--"

"Uncle," Q said simply, eyes narrowed, arm linked with James'.

"It was my last attempt, I promise," Tanner said as he slouched a little. "Have a lovely weekend."

"We will surely will." James nodded and almost dragged Q outside before the boffin could disagree. "We'll spend the evening and tomorrow watching movies and lounging on the sofa while eating Chinese takeaway."

Q groaned, he was getting hungry again.

"I can place the order while you are showering," James offered as he guided Q towards the car, sending grins left and right to the few unfortunate souls who glanced at them for longer than a second.

"I could...That is, I was thinking...." Q sighed, frustrated that he could order deadly agents left and right, but couldn't word out that he actually wanted to take a shower in James' bath.

"I'll take that as a yes then." James opened yet another door and they were headed towards the elevator. "But first, we must go and get your cat and a few changes of clothing."

Q ended up getting his bath as James did not miss the way his new lover looked at his huge that.  In fact, he suggested that Q took a bubble bath, his plan to join him and offer to wash his back and hair until their food arrives ruined by the cat who had no issue with jumping in next to her master and hissing at James when he stepped in the bathroom.

"I might end up sleeping on the floor in my own house," James had joked, but started to worry when he found the extra fluffy beast sprawled over his side of the bed while its master was inspecting the freshly delivered food.

"Do you want to share or should we keep to our own plates?" Q was looking at the fancy packaging of the take out. "I've never heard Lu's are preparing take outs."

"Well, they usually aren't. Unless it's for particular clients. I happen to be on the list." James tried to sit on the bed but the cat hissed. "I don't want to fight you, Turing, but I will. This is my bed and you can sleep anywhere else you want but here."

"So we'll take the sofa then?" Q asked, holding his hands so his dramatic cat could meow pathetically as it made its way to his arms, rubbing his head against him to get rid of James' smell.

"A package deal, I take it?" James asked and pushed the box that was his food towards him.

"He's a stray just like me, " Q explained, a faraway look in his eyes. "He never abandoned me and I promised to never abandon him."

"As this is a king sized bed and if you two don't mind sharing, I would gladly welcome you to share it with me as the sofa, no matter how comfortable it looks is actually the most uncomfortable thing ever."

"Turing knows how to share, don't you?" Q popped the cat on the nose and James swore the cat almost nodded in agreement.

"Come here then, just mind the food. It's still hot."

Q's stomach growled as he took the first bite, rolling his eyes and letting out one of his trademark moans of pleasure - the furry beast showed his claws in his leg, sensing that James' was aroused.

"Oh this is most amazing." Q praised James' choice of food. "Turing, here, take a nip."

James watched the fat beast gently nibble on the small piece of beef which Q was holding as not to dirty be bedsheets.

"I hope he will let me touch you because for now he really seems very possessive."

"Just overprotective." Q clarified.

"Can't fault him," James muttered, carefully moving in closer to Q, eyes fixed on the cat as he touched the man's back. "But I will fight him if I must." His eyes never left the cat as he slowly turned and placed a kiss on the back of Q's neck that seemed to say 'mine'.

Cat suddenly jumped off the bed and slowly walked away with its tail high in the air.

"What does it mean?" James looked at Q confused, resting his forehead on the back of Q's neck.

"It means that he approves of you." Q turned round and kissed him back, with tongue and teeth. "Let's eat now, I'm really hungry."

"Oh, but I am just as hungry if not more," James muttered, opening his mouth for Q to feed him.

"Oh, but I am just as hungry if not more," James muttered, opening his mouth for Q to feed him.

Q blinked slowly and snorted. "Grown man wanting to be fed," he said, shaking his head and he blew on the fork to make sure James' tongue wouldn't be burned.

James grinned, kissing Q's hand before taking the bite of food. "Just living out my dream of you in my bed, darling Quartermaster."

"Well, hopefully, I'll stay longer in your bed than just once." Q muttered quietly.

"I've told you already, Q. Asked you even, move in with me. Nothing would please me as coming home to you every night."

Q wiped the corner of James' mouth with his thumbs, unable to hold back from smiling. "Pretty sure that my phone will ring and I will wake up with Turing on my chest. You're going to be on the other line, of course, asking me to give you this or that car and pretend I don't know where you are."

"That's a mutual dream then." James kissed him deeply. "Do you still want to watch movies because I'm getting crazy curious as who will finally end Voldemort!"

"Shhh... You aren't supposed to pronounce his name out loud!" Q laughed and flung himself in James' waiting arms.

"Clear sign that I need to watch some more so I wouldn't do this in the future, don't you think?" James asked as he rubbed his nose with Q's, gently massaging his sides.

Q fought back a yawn, nodding. "Do you remember where you left off?"

"Well, I remember Dursleys and Harry being at their place because he's an underage and can't use magic." James had a confused look over his face.

Q chuckled, still having his head over James' chest. "Let's locate ourselves to the living room then."

"Or we could move TV to the bedroom." James fidgeted with something that looked like a remote control and a piece of the wall in front of them lifted up to reveal a flat screen amoled TV.

"Huh, should I look around for a camera?" Q asked teasingly and started to look around the room.

James chuckled, flicking his nose. "As a secret agent, I am more than sick and tired of that, so you won't find anything. Although they have tried to film me in the past."

"I'm sure they did. And probably wanted to put it up in a porn site." Q laughed and snugged deeper.  "Let's get comfortable and watch."

"I'm already comfortable."

Q didn't even make it to the ten minute mark before falling asleep, lulled by James' warmth and the way he was playing with his hair. James had an itch - an actual itch - which he developed due to Q's hair tickling his nose, but he didn't plan on moving any time soon so get rid of it.

"Don't suppose you'll assist me," he asked the lazy cat who watched him with little to no interest.

The cat suddenly jumped on Q's flat stomach and started kneading it, the man in the consequence moving to a side and releasing his hold on James a bit.

"You really are one smart cat?" James asked the feline who made itself look like a loaf of bread not far from them.

***

James woke up to someone slapping him. He instantly reached for the gun until his mind registered that he was next to Q, so he slowly turned to the octopus of a man that was snorting slightly and the cat that was sitting up on his back and glaring at me.

"Don't give me that look," he whispered, taking Q's arm and kissing his wrist. "In my field, waking up to violence is never a good sign."

Cat only meowed louder and it made Q stir.

"What is it Turing? Daddy's too sleepy to give you food."

James felt Q stretch all over and groaned inwardly. The man was too precious for the cruel world of espionage.

The cat turned to look at James and the man frowned. "I am not moving from here," he whispered and Q jumped so fast out of bed and so far away that James needed a moment to realize that he was alone in it. "What? What?" He asked as he sat up, looking around confused.

"What's wrong?" James looked around confused.

"You. Why am I in your bed? In your apartment?" Q started looking around. "Turing, why are you here? Is this a dream?"

James chuckled, stretching. "It's our bed, it's not a dream, and you moved in with me yesterday, remember?"

Q tilted his head to the right and hummed, petting his cat. "I might still be dreaming," he mumbled.

James got out of the bed with a huge grin on. "Allow me to prove you wrong," he offered and tilted Q's head back, kissing and licking his neck before biting down.

"So this is not a dream..." Q whispered.

"Definitely not." James whispered back, as if afraid to break the silence.

"Kiss me again then." Q closed his eyes and waited.

James cupped the younger man's cheek and finally kissed him fully on the lips. It was glorious and so much better than he had imagined, he hoped they'll do it quite a lot more times and even more.

 

**Author's Note:**

> P.s. Comments are well appreciated.


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